US-American billionaire buys islands on the border between Uruguay and Argentina

At the end of last year, he bought three islands on the Argentine side of the Uruguay River to donate them to the government of the province of Entre Rios, which will create a Natural Park there.

Now, the North American billionaire and philanthropist Gilbert Butler announced the purchase of another three islands on the Uruguayan side, which will also be given to the national authorities of that country to be used for ecotourism and conservation of the area.

The three Argentine islands, Dolores, San Genaro, and Campichuelo, together with the islands of Pingüino, Chala, and Basura, on the Uruguayan side, are planned to form the first Binational Park in the next few years.

In January, the NGO Ambá announced the purchase and donation intentions of the tycoon, who sailed then on the Uruguay River with President Luis Lacalle Pou.

On October 14, it confirmed the acquisition of three private islands that are part of the Esteros de Farrapos National Park within the framework of the Uruguay River Islands and Green Canals Project.

“By the end of 2021, three islands were incorporated into the project on the Argentine side of the Uruguay River and will be donated to Entre Ríos to form a future Provincial Natural Park,” Ambá’s statement points out.

“Through the initiative, we seek to consolidate a biocultural corridor of protected areas to contribute to the conservation of their species and habitats, to their capacity to respond to climate change, and to the sustainable development of tourist, educational, and scientific activities linked to their conservation, which will benefit more than half a million people living in the area,” said Maximiliano Costa, executive director of the NGO.

“The area of influence of this corridor was identified as highly relevant for biodiversity conservation in both countries and globally because it is home to 41% of the 2450 plant species described in Uruguay,” said Ambá.

In addition, the maned wolf, considered the largest canid in South America, which is in danger of extinction, was documented there.

Butler, who made his fortune through business with pension funds, allocates part of his money to the conservation of natural areas, and his projects include regions of South America (such as southern Argentina and Chile), but also in the United States, Canada, and East Africa.

The link with Uruguay began when the El Potrero reserve, in front of Fray Bentos, on the Argentine side, invited him to visit a ranch in early 2020.

The contact was through Emiliano Ezcurra, from the NGO Banco de Bosques, which worked with the multimillionaire to create shelters in the Perito Moreno Park.

The conservation philanthropy Butler Conservation, owned by the tycoon, will provide 100% of the funds for this ambitious conservation project in both countries, which will be implemented by the teams of @WCSArgentina and @thewcs Cono Sur, in coordination with The Nature Conservancy (TNC), @BancodeBosques, the Uruguayan Civil Association AMBÁ and the governments of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay and the Province of Entre Ríos, Argentina.

Along with purchasing these islands, this month, the kayak schools of Nuevo Berlín and San Javier, in Uruguay, received the donation of 50 kayaks with their complete equipment to strengthen nature tourism, environmental education, and nautical sports activities.

Last January, after touring the area with Butler, Lacalle Pou said that this was a “virtuous project” with a “strong vocation” to make this part of Uruguay known.

“In addition, a concept that is not new but that we must start making more common is the care of the environment. It is an economically sustainable project,” he said.

“It can become a pole of tourist attraction for the country,” he said.

INVESTMENT FUNDS

Butler generated his fortune by managing investment funds in the United States, where in 1979, he founded his company Butler Capital Corporation.

There he worked until 2005 with corporations and private investors, but, since that year, he has concentrated his activity on his foundation Butler Conservation, according to the organization.

The man landed in Argentina because of his closeness to the Tompkins family, other philanthropists who supported national parks in neighboring countries.

Now, in Uruguay, he is working with the NGO Ambá, which is in charge of purchasing the 500 hectares and setting up the project, the organization’s coordinator, Maximiliano Costa, told El País.

The first visit to Uruguay was in January 2021. “He fell in love with the channels between the islands, which have some spectacular places for kayaking. That’s where it all started,” Adrián Stagi, the director of the Environment of the Municipality of Río Negro, told El País.

PURCHASE IN ENTRE RÍOS

Last March, the governor of Entre Ríos, Gustavo Bordet, emphasized that the 2,600 hectares of islands received in donation and another 1,400 provincial hectares will make up the Provincial Natural Park.

“It is an area of many nautical sports, such as kayaks, sailing”, and that it also offers “the possibility of having several shelters”, said Bordet.

“The first one is already built, then five more shelters will come that will serve many people who want to have a place to rest or spend the night. It will be possible to do everything free of charge,” he described.

The president explained that they are working “hard” and said that “we intend to be able to make this park a reality so that it can be enjoyed by all the people of Entre Ríos and the tourists who come to visit this area”.

With information from La Nación