Isla Magdalena National Park

| Chile |

Area: 617,051 acres (249,712 hectares)
Estimated Carbon Storage: 161 million metric tonnes

Isla Magdalena is a big and hauntingly beautiful island near Puerto Cisnes between the Chilean mainland and the Guaitecas Archipelago. One of Chile’s largest islands south of Chiloé, about 80 percent of Isla Magdalena is permanently protected. Isla Magdalena’s rugged landscape, deep ravines, and coastal bluffs make it an ideal environment for species such as Magellanic penguins, cormorants, sea lions, and the endangered southern river otters.

Park History

The Chilean government designated most of the island as a forest reserve in the 1960s, which was upgraded to national park status in 1983. The park was expanded as part of Tompkins Conservation’s historic 2017–2018 Chilean parklands deal during the Bachelet administration.