Leonardo DiCaprio Instagram – A three-decades-long, grassroots campaign to protect the remote Peninsula Mitre, Tierra del Fuego, Argentina, has finally come to fruition. This week, legislators of Tierra del Fuego Province have voted to permanently protect Peninsula Mitre and its coastal waters. Located at the very tip of South America, Peninsula Mitre is home to one of the continent’s largest peat reserves and intact kelp forests, two powerhouse ecosystems that are key to planetary climate stability. For years, the local community has sought to transform Peninsula Mitre into a protected area, mobilizing local and international NGOs, including @rewild close partner @Rewilding_Argentina, the offspring of @Tompkins_Conservation. The hard-won success has a global impact on biodiversity loss and climate change at a crucial time to keep the planet’s temperature from rising 1.5 degrees Celsius. The newly established Peninsula Mitre Protected Area covers 1.2 million acres of land and sea, roughly the size of Grand Canyon National Park, will protect Argentina’s biggest carbon sink, and sets the path for a more robust, nature-based economy in this corner of South America. @wyss_campaign @patagonia Photos: @naturalflash #peninsulamitre #conservationoptimism #rewilding #rewilding_argentina #tompkins_conservation