Chile’s government is introducing five new National Parks covering more than 11 million acres of land to the nation, following a donation of 1 million acres of privately-owned land from American philanthropists Kristine Tompkins and her husband, the late Doug Tompkins.

Kristine, who is former CEO of clothing company Patagonia, and Doug, who co-founded of the North Face and Esprit clothing lines and died in 2015 in a kayaking accident, purchased millions of acres worth of land in the Patagonia region of Chile during the early 1990s, with the aim of buying and restoring the land before “returning it to the people” in the form of National Parks.

Much of that land was returned to the Chilean government last week, with the donation spurring the government to announce it would protect a further 10 million acres of wild land with the goal to turn it also into a series of new National Parks.

The land donation, which spans an estimated 1 million acres, is just under half of the Tompkins’ total land ownership in Chile, which totals 2.2 million acres. The donation represents the largest land donation from a private equity to a country in global history.

The pair’s charity, Tompkins Conservation, is a leader in the Americas in what is known as “rewilding” – a process of restoring natural ecosystems and reintroducing wildlife that has disappeared from a region because of human pressures.

“I wish my husband Doug, whose vision inspired today’s historic pledge, were here on this memorable day. Our team and I feel his absence deeply,” said Kristine. “But I know that if he were here today, he would speak of national parks being one of the greatest expressions of democracy that a country can realise, preserving the masterpieces of a nation for all of its citizenry.”

Chile’s government is hoping to feature the new parks along its 1,500-mile Ruta de los Parques – a tourism trail linking 17 national parks together as the country aims to capitalise on its natural wonders.

Tompkins Conservation says that the five new national parks, combined with the tourism trail, will bring in an extra US$270m (€250.5m, £215.8m) annually to the national economy, while also creating employment for 43,000 people. To support the government in the ambitious endeavour, Tompkins Conservation, together with key partners, has committing to creating a Chilean-based Friends of National Parks foundation for ongoing park support.