Chile's Torres del Paine Park has had a 600 percent visitation increase in the past 10 years. This growth is not organic, it is a partial result of both countries' governments actively promoting outdoor recreation. Similarly, the Chilean government has worked to increase visitation in their national parks. In 1996 Chile launched the National Parks for Ecotourism program, a campaign to encourage more private investment inside their protected wildlands. As a result, outfitters are attracting more clients to areas that previously saw very little recreational impact.
More people means more impact.
The effects can be devastating unless people are committed to applying minimum-impact techniques. This is the reason LNT education is so critical. NOLS has a long-standing presence in Mexico and Chile as well as experience training and designing the curriculum for LNT Masters. The school has thus been able to educate Mexican and Chilean land managers in LNT skills and ethics so that they can incorporate these strategies into management plans. These NDR courses are very similar to the LNT Masters courses taught in the U.S. with a few important differences.