Re:wild, the conservation NGO linked to Leonardo DiCaprio, finalized a $7.5 million purchase of 52,000 acres on Guafo Island in 2025. The island, situated off the coast of Chiloé near Quellón, is slated to be donated to the Chilean state for national‑park status, according to a statement by Re:wild’s executive director, Marta López, and reported by La Tercera.
Guafo is a Key Biodiversity Area that hosts the world’s largest sooty shearwater colony and a Magellanic penguin breeding site, WWF Chile highlighted in a briefing. The untouched forest, never logged or grazed by non‑native livestock, supports southern fur seals and endangered marine otters, the organization noted.
Re:wild has partnered with Corporación Cultiva and the Chilean Biodiversity and Protected Areas Service (SBAP) to draft a technical dossier, which the group said is near completion. Indigenous Mapuche‑Williche representatives, led by community liaison Mateo Ríos, are pushing for an ECMPO designation, the report added.
Re:wild’s consolidated assets topped $74 million at June 2025, with the island purchase listed as its sole property asset, La Tercera disclosed. While DiCaprio, a founding board member, performed just one hour a week of work, the group plans to install park rangers and establish management protocols before the island’s official protection in November 2027, the executive director confirmed.