The Patagonia region enjoys tremendous allure
but almost no protection.

The wild tip of South America offers dramatic beauty and wide-open spaces—traits that belie the land’s ecological fragility. More than a century of intensive grazing by domestic livestock has caused grave damage to Patagonia’s grassland ecosystems. Widespread deforestation, persecution of native carnivores, expanding oil and mining exploitation, and proposed mega-dams for hydroelectricity are current and future threats to the region’s natural character. Less than five percent of Patagonia is permanently conserved. The agricultural ministry of Argentina estimates that desertification of the Patagonian steppe ecosystem will affect nearly eighty percent of the region if actions are not taken now to reduce pressure on this fragile landscape. The World Wildlife Fund has defined Patagonia as a global conservation priority. Now is the time to establish a system of ecological reserves in Patagonia, including national parks, that will ensure healthy wildlife populations into the future.

“Of all the places I’ve been in the world—and
I haven’t missed many—Patagonia remains right
at the top as one of my favorites, but we can’t take
this special place for granted, so the establishment
of national parks is essential to the preservation
of this awesome landscape.”
—Tom Brokaw