Benevolent Colonialism

In the 1990’s, a rich American businessman moves to a foreign country and starts buying up land. Lots of it. Like a few million acres. A 20^th century version of colonialism, with big money instead of guns taking over—literally—another land. Same old, same old— disrespect for a people, for a culture, for the land itself, exploiting all for one’s own pleasure and profit.

 

Except not. Instead of buying it to earn yet more money or exploit the land or the workers on it, the man actually is buying it to preserve it, to keep it safe from deforestation and mining and military exercises and instead, to re-populate it with endangered species and restore it to its original habitat. And at the end of the vision, having spent his personal fortune to purchase it, to donate it all back to the country to create 17 National Parks. 

 

The country is Chile (also Argentina) and the man is Doug Tompkins, founder of Northface, co-founder with his wife Susie of Esprit and the subject of a new (and excellent) film called Wild Life. (He also was a parent at The San Francisco School where I worked, though I think his daughters Summer and Quincy may have left before I arrived in 1975. )

 

The film is an extraordinary testament to an extraordinary man who was wildly successful as a businessman, but throughout his career, combined the day-to-day grind of big business with rock climbing, kayaking, bush plane flying and a genuine love for the outdoors. Near the end of his time with Esprit, he started suggesting to customers that they only buy what they need, a radical thought in the endless-growth-and-profit mentality of capitalism. So he just opted out, moved to Chile, remarried another remarkable woman, Kris,  who had a similar epiphany as a CEO in the Patagonia Company and together, they began their quest to create national parks in both Chile and Argentina. When Doug died in a tragic kayak accident in 2015 (at 72 years old, almost my age!), Kris was emotionally shattered, but re-grouped and carried on their vision to completion, signing the agreement in 2018 with then-Chilean president Michelle Bachelet to create five new national parks and expand three others in an area the size of Switzerland! These were people that got things done!

 

So what from the outside looks completely inappropriate turns out to be a kind of benevolent colonialism, an American using his privilege and power and money on behalf of sustaining bio-diversity and preserving a planet that benefits all, human, plant and animal.

Billionaires, take note!