Milestone: Private Land Donation to Uruguay's National System of Protected Areas
On January 8, 2026, Uruguay witnessed a historic event: a private land donation to the National System of Protected Areas. President Yamandú Orsi, together with Minister of Environment Edgardo Ortuño, national, departmental, local authorities, and civil society representatives, gathered to formalize the donation of three islands—Chala, Inga, and Pingüino—totaling approximately 514 hectares in the Uruguay River. A donation of land to the State for conservation purposes had not been witnessed for over a century. This landmark initiative was set within a larger objective of consolidating a binational biological corridor for biodiversity conservation and sustainable development.
The Project
Renowned international NGOs Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Butler Conservation Inc. (BCI), in collaboration with local NGO Ambá, have been working on the development of a new biodiversity program for protected Uruguayan islands in the Uruguay River, with the ambitious goal of achieving a binational protection plan with Argentina.
The project seeks to consolidate a biocultural corridor of protected areas to contribute to the conservation of species and habitats, enhance climate change resilience, and promote sustainable tourism, educational, and scientific activities linked to conservation.
These three protected islands were acquired in 2022 from a private owner with funds donated by Butler Conservation Inc. Since then, Ambá, WCS, and BCI have dedicated knowledge, time, and resources to acquire and set up modern infrastructure to enable ecotourism development in the area, involving the local community in activities such as kayaking and environmental education as well as facilitating conservation work in the area.
This donation represents a historical milestone in Uruguayan history, as the last similar donation of private land for protection purposes took place more than 100 years ago. The completion of this donation was further followed by an announcement by the Ministry of Environment of an expansion of the total area of the Esteros de Farrapos and Islands of the Uruguay River National Park from 16,424 to 21,565 hectares, with the number of protected islands increasing from 19 to 35.
President Orsi emphasized the significance of the moment: "We haven't seen anything like this in decades. This is the first time something of this nature has connected us with Argentina." He described it as a great opportunity to form a single binational park together with Argentina, adding that the donation "obligates you to assume the commitments that are written. It is a modal donation—donations with a purpose. You cannot deviate from that process."
This high-impact project became a top headline story nationwide, capturing the attention of the country's most prominent media and reflecting its significant public interest. The event generated international coverage too; notably, actor and environmental advocate Leonardo DiCaprio shared news about the donation on his social media.
Guyer & Regules´ key participation
Guyer & Regules played a crucial role in all steps of this landmark project. The firm advised all three NGOs—Ambá, Wildlife Conservation Society, and Butler Conservation Inc.—in the islands' acquisition process as well as in legal matters related to the infrastructure development, and finally, in in structuring the donation to guarantee that the donors’ long-term conservationist vision would be upheld by the State, actively participating in the negotiations with Uruguay's Ministry of Environment and other government agencies to help establish a framework that ensures the islands' future management and protection.
Beatriz Spiess and Gonzalo Iglesias led the firm's work and will continue assisting in the execution of a collaboration agreement between Ambá and the Ministry of Environment, as well as in the ongoing efforts to consolidate a binational protected area.
The firm has a solid and strong Environmental & Sustainability Team, second to none in Uruguay, composed of professionals with vast capacity and experience, and has a long-standing record of assisting clients in groundbreaking matters and participating in impactful projects and transactions throughout the most varied industries.