The commemoration of the National Parks Day does not correspond to an international event, but rather celebrates the historic land donation made by Expert Francisco P. Moreno in 1903, an act that founded the country’s protected areas system.
Every November 6th, the National Parks Day in Argentina is celebrated, a fundamental date for the history of conservation in the country. Contrary to what is sometimes assumed, this commemoration is not linked to the creation of Yellowstone in the United States nor to a global declaration, but to a purely Argentinian milestone driven by the vision of one man.
The origin of the celebration dates back to November 6, 1903. On that date, Dr. Francisco Pascacio Moreno, popularly known as “Perito Moreno“, made a historic donation to the Argentine State. Moreno ceded three square leagues (approximately 7,500 hectares) of his personal property, located in the area of Lago Nahuel Huapi, in Patagonia.
Moreno’s vision was explicit and pioneering for the time. His will was for these lands to be “maintained in their natural state” and reserved as a “public park“, intended for the “rest and enjoyment of present and future generations”. This philanthropic and conservationist gesture laid the foundations of the nation’s protected areas system.
That initial donation was the seed that germinated into the creation of the first national park in Argentina and all of Latin America. The area was accepted by the State and formed the initial core of the “Southern National Park“, which years later would be renamed as the now world-famous Nahuel Huapi National Park.
Therefore, November 6, National Parks Day does not celebrate a “world day”, but a national day that pays tribute to that foundational act of Perito Moreno, whose legacy allowed the development of biodiversity conservation and the country’s landscapes.
