The supporters of the Gondwana Forest Sanctuary envision a global commons for the world's southernmost native forests, similar to the 1961 Antarctica treaty that preserves Antarctica in the name of international peace and cooperation. They count as successes the fact that the Savia International, Ltd. has not been able to cut a single tree in Tierra del Fuego despite seven years of pressure on the local government, and that Boise Cascade recently was forced to drop its plans to open the world's largest woodchipping plant, thanks to an international campaign focused on preserving Chile's temperate rainforest. On the Australian island of Tasmania, activists recently organized large marches against woodchipping of native forests.

By protecting, reconnecting and restoring the life of the southern-most Gondwannic forests, an international sanctuary would give local, national and international communities a new model for how humans can relate to the land, Chiappe said. "I really believe that the creation of this international sanctuary is an opportunity to commit ourselves to the protection of one of the most fragile biodiversities on earth – not only for the four involved countries – but for the sake of humanity," he said. "This is the most precious heritage we can leave the next generations."