From Amazonian forests to Patagonian ice fields, South America boasts some of the most iconic nature reserves on the planet. A Moderating Force demonstrates how, in four countries and across one hundred years, ordinary people and curious scientists worked to protect and celebrate the places for which they cared deeply. Rather than center conventional or critical interpretations of nature conservation, Emily Wakild shows how the creation of national parks proved a moderating force that pulled different groups together. By elaborating on the patterns and processes that these countries used to protect large landscapes, Wakild provides a bold new interpretation of national parks.