U.S. Conservationist Gets Sanctuary Ok

A millionaire American conservationist won agreement from the Chilean government Tuesday to help him create a nature sanctuary on a vast swatch of pristine land he has spent years acquiring in rugged southern Chile.

Douglas Tompkins, creator of the Esprit clothing empire, had faced pressure from the Chilean military and right-wing business interests here who believed that his land holdings - which are roughly the size of Delaware and essentially cut this long, narrow country in half - were too vast and strategically important to be in the hands of a foreigner. They also accused him of attempting to stymie economic development.

But the government, after investigating the millionaire’s motives, reached an agreement with Tompkins under which he would turn over his land to a private trust in return for President Eduardo Frei’s support in protecting the land from development interests and from conservatives who sought to thwart his plans. The aim now is to turn the land into a preserve that showcases the diversity of Chile’s ecology from the Andes to the Pacific Ocean.