Chile is preparing to create its 47th national park, protecting nearly 200,000 hectares of remote Patagonian coastline and forest. The move would seal a continuous wildlife corridor stretching more than 2,800 kilometers from central Patagonia to the southernmost tip of the Americas. The area, known as Cape Froward, is among the most isolated landscapes in the country, shaped by fierce winds, rugged shorelines, and dense subantarctic forests that have remained largely untouched.
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The new park brings together a patchwork of privately acquired land and state-held territory assembled over nearly a decade. In 2023, an agreement was signed to donate the land to the Chilean state, marking a major step toward formal protection. Once finalized, the park will safeguard vast valleys, peatlands, and coastal ecosystems that serve as critical habitat for some of Patagonia’s rarest species, while also preserving a landscape that has witnessed thousands of years of human presence.

Wildlife surveys in the area have already revealed remarkable biodiversity. An endangered deer species has been confirmed in small numbers, while camera traps regularly capture images of pumas and a threatened river otter. The park also contains roughly 10,000 hectares of sphagnum bogs, a spongelike moss ecosystem that stores large amounts of carbon beneath the surface. These bogs play a quiet but vital role in climate regulation, while remaining extremely fragile and slow to recover if damaged.
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Beyond its ecological value, Cape Froward holds deep cultural significance. Along the shoreline lie archaeological sites that document the lives of the Kawésqar, a nomadic Indigenous people who navigated the fjords and forests in canoes carved from trees. Shell middens buried in silty mud reveal diets that included birds and dolphins, while stone circles on beaches show where fish traps once stood. Trees stripped of bark still bear traces of how canoe hulls were lined, offering rare insight into a way of life closely tied to land and sea.

The area later became a crossroads of global history. The strait of Magellan served for centuries as the main maritime link between the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, long before the Panama Canal existed. Explorers passed through, shipping traffic intensified, and the surrounding waters earned a reputation for danger. Shipwrecks, lost cargo, and weather-beaten legends became part of the coastline’s story, leaving traces that occasionally still wash ashore.
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Industrial activity followed in the early 20th century. Timber from the forests was exported widely, and a whaling operation briefly flourished along the coast. Within little more than a decade, whale populations were devastated and the industry collapsed, leaving behind only scattered remains of processing facilities and decaying wooden structures. These remnants now sit quietly within the landscape, reminders of how quickly extraction can erase abundance.

oday, parts of the coastline are being reimagined for conservation and education. An abandoned lighthouse along the strait has been restored and transformed into a small museum focused on the natural and human history of the region. Together with a modest café on the beach below, it is expected to serve as an entry point for visitors, offering access without heavy infrastructure that could threaten the surrounding ecosystems.
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Despite the progress, the park is not yet guaranteed. A legally required Indigenous consultation process began last year but failed to gain sufficient momentum. Authorities have said efforts will continue, with the aim of finalizing the park in the coming months. If the process stalls for too long, ownership of the land could revert to its previous custodians, placing the future of the project in doubt.