The Undersecretary of Tourism, Monica Zalaquett, came all the way to Pumalín Park, located in the region of Los Lagos, along with the Minister of Agriculture, Antonio Walker, the region’s mayor of the region, Harry Jürgensen, and the executive director of CONAF, José Manuel Rebolledo, to participate in the formal hand over of the Pumalín and Patagonia Parks to CONAF by the Tompkins Conservation foundation.

The visit was led by the president of the foundation, Kristine Tompkins, and the director of the same entity, Carolina Morgado, who greeted the authorities in the El Amarillo sector to inaugurate the CONAF signage with them, as well as to deliver park ranger uniforms.

The Undersecretary of Tourism affirmed that “as a government, we are committed to the development of sustainable tourism and, in that regard, the parks that today become part of the State of Chile play a decisive role, since they are tourist attractions of the highest standard for those who visit the south of Chile every year and contributions to the area’s economic and social development, positively impacting the quality of life of those who live there”.

The national director of SERNATUR, Andrea Wolleter, celebrated this formalization, ensuring that “the Route of Parks of Patagonia is and will be a product of international recognition that will allow us to position tourism in new marketing channels”.

The Pumalín Park is located in the Llanquihue and Palena province and is the gateway for those seeking to discover the Route of Parks of Patagonia. Its 402,392 hectares stretch from the heart of the Andes to the fjords of the Pacific Coast, from where trails, camping sites and public facilities that allow hundreds of tourists to enjoy its marvelous landscapes every year are set up.

 Meanwhile, the Patagonia National Park has an area of 304,527 hectares and is composed of the land donated by the foundation as well as 4the Jeinimeni and Cochrane Lakes, which are National Reserves, signifying a breakthrough in the conservation of ecosystems that include grasslands, mountains, coigüe forests and wetlands.

CONAF has CLP$350M to manage both parks and 25 park rangers to uphold their standard and promote their care among those who visit them. The foundations and the State of Chile have agreed to establish a 10-year dialogue table in which they will work together to fully meet their objectives.