Chile is set to establish Cape Froward as its 47th national park. The park will protect almost 200,000 hectares (500,000 acres) of wild land. It will complete a 1,700-mile (2,800km) stretch of protected wilderness reaching the southern tip of the Americas. Cape Froward features wild forests, rugged coastline, and valleys rich in biodiversity. It also holds deep Indigenous cultural history. Kristine Tompkins, a US conservationist involved in the project, said, “I have been to many exceptional places, and I can tell you that the Cape Froward project is the wildest place I have walked through.” This park is the 17th created or expanded by Tompkins Conservation and Rewilding Chile in Chile and Argentina. The groups worked for nearly a decade to buy lands and partner with the state. In 2023, they signed an agreement to donate land for the park. Earlier this year, endangered huemul deer were found there. Cameras also recorded pumas and the rare huillín river otter. The park includes 10,000 hectares of peat bogs that store carbon underground. Benjamín Cáceres, conservation coordinator for Rewilding Chile’s Magallanes region, recalled visiting Cape Froward as a child with his father. They are helping restore the nearby San Isidro lighthouse as a museum and park entrance. The area contains archaeological sites linked to the Kawésqar Indigenous people, who lived as nomadic canoeists. Leticia Caro, a Kawésqar activist, said, “For our community, it is very important to protect this area.” The strait of Magellan, nearby, was a key historical route for explorers and whalers. Many ships were lost in these waters, and the area has a rich human and natural history. An Indigenous consultation was required but did not yield strong results. Chile’s environment ministry aims to move forward by March. If progress stalls, the land returns to Tompkins’ organizations. Kristine Tompkins emphasized the park’s role in preserving important wildlife sites in Patagonia. The Guardian’s reporting was supported by Rewilding Chile.