China's Richest Man Buys 28k Acres of US Wilderness to Preserve It

Co-founder of online shopping giant, Alibaba, Jack Ma, has decided to invest $23 million of his own money in a huge chunk of land in the US Adirondack mountains, known as the Brandon Reserve.  His long term plan: to retire to the region.  His short term plan: stop the logging operations and preserve the country.

Ma is a well known conservationalist and currently the richest man in China.  He is well known for inspiring masses of young people about the keys to successful business (he, himself, was rejected from Harvard 10 times) and supplies a constant reminder that failure can be a blessing.

Now, by purchasing the 28,000 acre property from the DuPont family, he is making a very tangible mark in the world of preservation.  He plans to turn the entire region into a wildlife sanctuary and protect the plants and animals from logging and mining operations that would have otherwise infiltrated the region.

According to a spokesman for Ma, "protecting the environment in China will always be Jack's first and foremost priority."

Ma added that one of his long term goals is to "improve the environment that our children will inherit."

Here is a clip from a talk with Jack Ma and Barack Obama detailing global conservation.