Values, conficts, and narratives of private protected areas : the case of Tompkins conservation in Chilean Patagonia and Argentina

There are many ways to approach an understanding of nature conservation values and narratives. This chapter employs a case study to focus on one of the most important contemporary nature conservation initiatives, because of its global coverage and impact. We trace the formation of narratives developed by researchers, conservation entities, politicians, and other actors who have given meaning to Douglas and Kristine Tompkins effort to create privately protected areas (PAs) in Chilean Patagonia and Argentina. We reviewed academic and popular press texts to construct and interpret stories and their evolution throughout the processes of land acquisition and PA development, management, integration, and donation. Findings reveal connections, tensions, and contradictions produced by the broader Tompkins project and different approaches by the more critical academicians than the upbeat and colorful popular press. In this chapter, we demonstrate how narratives can be a useful tool to analyze value and ideological conflicts about private protected areas (PPAs) in Chile and Argentina. Narratives are also helpful to determine how humans do and will use stories to advance PPAs to achieve global biodiversity conservation goals, such as the 30 × 30 initiative, or problematize their existence.