U.S. philanthropist Gilbert Butler first visited the islands of the Uruguay River while kayaking in 2019 through El Potrero, a private reserve in Argentina’s Entre Ríos province. His foundation, Butler Conservation Inc., had worked in Argentina for years in partnership with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). After his visit, a project took shape: to create adjacent parks on the Argentine and Uruguayan sides of the river, which forms the border between the two countries. As a first step, Gilbert agreed to buy six islands, three on the Argentine side of the border and three on the Uruguayan side. His foundation plans to donate the islands, along with ecotourism infrastructure and comprehensive conservation plans, to government authorities so they can be incorporated in publicly accessible protected lands. According to WCS, Gilbert bought the islands for US$500,000—514 hectares (1,270 acres) on the Uruguayan side of the international border and 2,695... [Log in to read more]