A coalition of nonprofits, including one from metro Atlanta, have come together with groups in Chile to buy for conservation hundreds of thousands of acres of Patagonian wilderness often described as South America’s Yosemite.
The purchase of more than 300,000 acres in Cochamó Valley will protect wildlands featuring ancient forests, turquoise rivers and sheer granite cliffs. The land, a family estate, had been threatened in recent years by plans for hydroelectric power and development.
The James M. Cox Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Cox Enterprises, one of Georgia’s largest companies, joined in the acquisition with several nonprofits, including lead Chilean organization Puelo Patagonia. Other coalition members include The Nature Conservancy, Freyja Foundation, Wyss Foundation, the Patagonia clothing company and other non-government groups in Chile.
The groups combined have committed $78 million to acquire the land, clear legal procedures and to set up a foundation for the land’s permanent conservation. Cox was the largest donor, helping to move forward the yearslong quest to make conservation a reality.
“This is a historic milestone not only because of the size of the protected area, but also because of how it was achieved: with participation, transparency and deep respect for the communities that live in Cochamó,” Andrés Diez, executive director of Puelo Patagonia, said in a news release. “That is the foundation on which the next phase will be built.”
The newly acquired wilderness connects with separate land holdings totaling some 4 million acres in Chile and Argentina that will be under conservation, preserving vital biological corridors for native species, some of them endangered.
Credit: Valentina Thenoux
Credit: Valentina Thenoux
Fundación Conserva Puchegüín is the newly created Chile-based nonprofit with an independent board that will own and manage the land. Eighty percent will be under strict conservation. Sustainable uses, such as agriculture and low-impact tourism, will be allowed on the remaining lands.
According to The Nature Conservancy, the most ecologically sensitive areas are expected to become part of a national park.
“This radical collaboration of passionate individuals and organizations large and small has come together to do something extraordinary — a real gift to our Earth and our grandchildren,” Jeffrey Parrish, The Nature Conservancy’s global managing director for nature protection, said in the release.
The Pucheguín Estate, some 600 miles south of the Chilean capital of Santiago, features jagged peaks and granite domes of the Andes Mountains and ancient alerce trees, soaring Patagonian conifers that live for thousands of years.
Puelo Patagonia formed in Chile in 2013 and successfully defended the Puelo River and other waterways from planned hydropower facilities that would have flooded much of the valley. The Pucheguín property, a key stretch of land within the Cochamó Valley, was listed for sale in 2022.
Roberto Hagemann, a businessman who owned the land, ultimately sold it to the grassroots groups and nonprofits that opposed the hydropower plans.
The deal is similar, in a way, to one struck earlier this year that ended an Alabama company’s controversial plans to mine near the Okefenokee Swamp. That deal saw the developer sell land to nonprofits for permanent conservation. Cox was a contributor to the Okefenokee acquisition as well.
Cox, which has its headquarters in Sandy Springs, is perhaps best known for its ownership of media, broadband and automotive services companies. Among its holdings is The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Cox has spent the past several years diversifying its holdings, investing billions into clean technology, electric vehicles, indoor farming and health care, and recently launched a conservation-minded business unit focused on outdoor recreation.
The Cox Foundation and Cox Enterprises have provided more than $325 million to conservation and environmental stewardship causes, according to a recent news release.
Cox’s yearslong work protecting wild salmon led to the foundation’s involvement in Cochamó, Cox Chairman and CEO Alex Taylor said in an interview. Yvon Chouinard, founder of the Patagonia outdoors brand, and Taylor met about a year ago in Argentina to talk about salmon conservation efforts and Chouinard introduced him to the Cochamó Valley.
“’We really need to get that thing preserved, it’s the most beautiful place on Earth,’” Taylor said Chouinard told him. “If Yvon Chouinard is saying this is the most beautiful place on Earth, he’s been everywhere. He’s climbed every mountain. Like, where is it? And he said, ‘Oh, it’s a couple hours north.’”
Taylor said he told Chouinard, “I’ve got to see the most beautiful place on earth.”
Returning to Atlanta after his visit to the valley, Taylor said he met with Cox Foundation leaders. The foundation has historically focused on North America, and likely will continue to, but the chance to protect this slice of Patagonian wilderness was an opportunity Taylor said could not be missed. The foundation agreed.
“Cochamó will be there forever because we did something,” he said.
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