He invited people to view National Parks as engines for local economies, creating jobs, boosting trade, and focusing on the conservation of the entire area in conjunction with the surrounding communities.
By early March 2017, an agreement was signed between the Chilean state and private entities. The Tompkins Conservation Chile Foundation donated the largest portion of land worldwide with the condition that the state incorporate public lands and classify them as National Parks, thus creating Pumalín Douglas Tompkins, Melimoyu, Cerro Castillo, Patagonia, and Kawésqar, and expanding three more: Hornopirén, Corcovado, and Isla Magdalena. This resulted in nearly 30 million acres, bringing the Route of the Parks to life.
The project’s executive committee appointed our founder, Gonzalo Fuenzalida, as Vice President, who is proud and happy to represent the private entrepreneurs of the Magallanes Region, one of the three regions included in this Route.
Chile Nativo has been developing partnerships with tour operators from other regions and National Parks for several years. In collaboration with two leading tourism companies in southern Chile, they created Patagonia Collection, a program that crosses National Parks of the Route of the Parks, offering activities such as rafting, kayaking, biking, excursions to active volcanoes, and interactive cultural meetings with local communities. This is precisely what the Route implements on a large scale, with all 17 National Parks working together.
Gonzalo, believes that his work on the Route of the Parks is “a challenge, and at the same time, a way to give back to tourism what it has so generously given him.” He is committed to contributing to the conservation and sustainable commercialization of the Route of the Parks.
To learn more about the Route of the Parks, visit the website:
https://www.rutadelosparques.org/
Written by Bárbara Salinas E.
