About Omar Rojas
Our years exploring the wild Ibera Marsh in northeastern Argentina have provided us the opportunity to meet some very interesting people. Locals who live, work, treasure the traditional way of life, and who maintain the customs of interacting with the wetlands and nature in the old way.
It becomes even more meaningful when we meet someone who also understands the value of sustainable tourism as a tool to foster and fund conservation efforts, and even to re-wild this unique ecosystem. Omar Rojas is such a man.
Omar was born and raised in the wetlands, among a family that held to the traditions of a life in this area of open wilderness. In his early years, he started out working on a large ranch, Estancia San Alonso, that bordered the western range of the wetlands raising cattle and livestock.
In 1997 the Conservation Land Trust, directed by famed conservationist, Douglas Tompkins, was in search of lands with unique biodiversity or special habitat that existed in areas that might be vulnerable to the encroachment of civilization. The objective of the trust was to purchase these lands, and then develop projects that funded the protection and restoration through low-impact tourism.
Estancia San Alonso was one of the private land masses acquired. It was quickly apparent that having a man like Omar Rojas, whose understanding of the wetlands and deep sense of belonging, was a tremendous benefit to the conservation project. And Omar, from his interactions with Douglas Tompkins, learned how valuable sustainable tourism could be in preserving the land, traditions, and lifestyle that meant so much to him and all who lived in this amazing part of the world.
From the first moment I met Omar in the far corners of the Ibera, working his family land in the style of a lone gaucho, it was evident that he still held to the legacy of conservation that Douglas Tompkins had engraved on him. I will always remember some of the first things he said to me. “I learned many years ago from Mr. Tompkins, that tourism was a serious opportunity to provide a future for all of us.”
We developed an instant bond with Omar and his family, and all of the years since have only strengthened our relationship. To this day, Omar and his family remain personally involved in all of the services and comfort you will find at our Ibera Rugua camp, and the traditions and culture of the wetlands they share with all of our guests have become a highlight of the experience.
