Protected Natural Areas - National Parks
Patagonia is influenced by the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, as well as by the Andes mountain range. This biogeography is the source of a wide variety of ecosystems. The region is home to numerous national parks, nature reserves and monuments, some of which were initiated by American patrons headingoutdoor companies. These sanctuaries aim to reconcile biodiversity protection and tourism. Here are a few of the most emblematic:
Argentina:
Los Glaciares National Park: a UNESCO World Heritage site, home to numerous glaciers, including the Perito Moreno, and breathtaking scenery.
Lanín National Park : unique for its ancient cold forests known as "Valdivian forests", the park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Monte León National Park, on the Patagonian coast, is home to exceptional flora and fauna.
NahuelHuapiNational Park : Argentina's first national park, renowned for its lakes.
Tierradel FuegoNational Park : located near Ushuaia, between land and sea, mountains, lakes and forests, it invites you to discover Tierra del Fuego.
Chile:
Torres del Paine National Park: renowned for its glaciers, lakes and mountains.
Cabo de Hornos National Park: the southernmost national park on the planet, home to the mythical Cape Horn.
Villarrica National Park : this park is emblematic not only for its volcano, but also for its mountains and vast forests.
Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park : Chile's oldest national park, home to Lake Todos los Santos and the Osorno volcano.
Patagonia National Park : created in 2018 with land donated by the Tompkins Foundation, this park is home to a rich biodiversity. Originally an estancia bought by Douglas and Kristine Tombkins in 2004, the land has now been regenerated. Following the death of her husband, Kristine ceded the land, part of which became Patagonia Park.
Pali Aike National Park : frequented by many vulcanologists, this park is renowned for its volcanic geology, in particular its basaltic lava-covered terrain.
Hornopirén National Park, south of Puerto Montt, is home to alerce forests. Visitors are invited to take a voyage of discovery between volcanoes, lakes and mountains.
Other national reserves include Malalcahuello, Nalcas, Micho Choshuenco, Coyhaique, Lago Cochrane, Cerro Castillo, Lago Jeinimeni, Shöen, Río Simpson, Tamango, Mañihuales, Magallanes and Laguna Parrillar.
And natural monuments : Alerce Costero, Islotes de Puñihuil, Lahuén Ñadi, Dos Lagunas, Cueva del Milodón, Los Pingüinos.
Anthropogenic pressures on the environment
European settlers in Patagonia developed extensive sheep farming (wool production) around large estancias surrounded by tens of thousands of hectares of grassland. These estancias continue to shape the landscape. Patagonia is also rich in natural resources: oil, gas, aluminum and copper. Oil exploitation, which began in the 1940s, is having a considerable and significant impact. In December 2018, the NGO Greenpeace uncovered a scandal involving 5 oil companies, including Total. Accused of massive and illegal dumping of hydrocarbon residues in storage pools, they are being sued by members of the Mapuche indigenous community. This exploitation of resources has often been carried out without respect for either the natural environment or the indigenous populations. Once again in 2024, Greenpeace stepped up its actions in Patagonia to oppose oil exploration and fracking (a natural gas extraction technique) in the region. In September 2024, NGO activists led protests against Shell and Total, denouncing the deforestation and pollution associated with these activities. These protests focused on the environmental and social impact of fracking in the Vaca Muerta formation in Argentine Patagonia, home to one of the world's largest reserves of shale oil and gas. Activists also organized blockades at the entrances to toxic waste sites, where oil companies dump their waste. This action was aimed at drawing attention to the violation of environmental laws and the risks of contamination of water resources, essential for local communities, including indigenous populations.
Patagonia, laboratory of climate change
The melting of glaciers, visible to the naked eye, is surely the most tangible sign of climate change in Patagonia. Scientists are working to understand all the mechanisms associated with this phenomenon. In addition to greenhouse gas emissions, particles released by the mining industry are believed to be accentuating the melting of glaciers, by reducing the Albedo effect when they cover them. The country is faced with a dilemma: how to protect the glaciers while continuing its industrial activities? Another point that may delight some is that climate warming is leading to a boom in vine-growing in Patagonia (Río Negro, Neuquén and Chubut).
The future of Patagonia and the challenges of responsible tourism
Since the 1990s, tourism has become an important economic resource for the region, which welcomes almost 4 million visitors a year. Although necessary for the local economy, it is exerting increasing pressure on protected areas, often without adequate regulation. The country's natural heritage therefore needs to be protected from mining, logging, oil drilling and dam construction. Policies are underway to protect more land and help maintain biodiversity. In 2019, part-private donations (Tompkins donation) enabled the sanctuary of over 4 million hectares. The aim is to increase the surface area of national parks and connect them together, to create an ecological corridor enabling the evolutionary dynamics of living organisms to be maintained. These extensions will also relieve the pressure on some of the most popular tourist trails, including Los Glaciares National Park and Perito Moreno. However, this has not been achieved without the protest of some ranchers who see the loss of valuable land for their activity (Chacabuco Valley in Patagonia National Park) and the threat of a mining expansion project. The layout of the new areas is inspired by the Anglo-Saxon model, with its abundance of signposts and signposts, and thus denotes Patagonia's "wilderness" image. This loss of authenticity at least has the virtue of regulating tourist movements. Visitors to Patagonia will also be encouraged to think about ways of limiting the carbon and ecological impact of their trip (transport, waste, energy consumption, etc.).
