Doug taught us to know Chile, to know these lands.” So said Nicolás Ibáñez, the former owner of a supermarket chain here, at the December 2015 funeral in Chile for Douglas Tompkins, the U.S. clothing entrepreneur who became a leading South American land conservationist. The tribute reflected the extraordinary shift—from suspicious to appreciative—in public attitudes toward Tompkins and the work he did in Chile over 25 years to help safeguard the country’s spectacular southern wild lands. But Tompkins’ death, of severe hypothermia following a Dec. 8, 2015 kayaking accident in Chilean Patagonia, prompted more than moving testimonials. It became a “catalyst” for the achievement of his highest conservation priority, says Hernán Mladinic, executive director of Tompkins Conservation, which oversees conservation entities formed by... [Log in to read more]