Billionaire Rewilders: Turner, Tompkins, Carr Restore Landscapes

A wave of conservation-focused billionaires, including the late Ted Turner, Kris Tompkins, Greg Carr, and Paul Lister, has funded large-scale rewilding projects across the Americas, Africa, and Europe. Turner, who died May 6, 2026, at age 87, acquired 558,000-acre Vermejo in New Mexico in 1996, removing cattle and fences to restore native bison herds and ecosystems. His properties will become part of a nonprofit institute. Kris and Doug Tompkins spent an estimated $300 million restoring two million acres in Chile and Argentina, leading to jaguar births in Iberá wetlands and creation of 13 national parks. Greg Carr's foundation manages Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique, reintroducing species after civil war. Paul Lister's Alladale Wilderness Reserve in Scotland has planted over one million trees. These projects combine luxury tourism—Vermejo's Turner House opens in 2020 with rates from $1,600 per night—with scientific research and species restoration, funded by private wealth and generating revenue for conservation. A 2024 McKinsey report notes rising demand among ultra-high-net-worth travelers for unique nature experiences. Re:Wild's Mark Burget states that philanthropists find rewilding the most meaningful work of their lives.