Overgrazing has turned much of Patagonia into wasteland. "The land has turned to desert," laments farmer Jorge Lemos. "Today, it's very cheap because there are no pastures." While few Argentineans can afford to leave the land to recover, foreign companies are moving in. "43% of land in our country is virtually in foreign hands," complains politician Marta Maffei. "They control the water, they change the course of rivers, they control access to our own natural beauties." But the government welcomes the new investment as a way of regenerating the region. And some investors are bringing in a new ecological outlook. One recently spent $1.7 million buying up land to turn into a national park.