Between Extractivism and Conservation: Tree Plantations, Forest Reserves, and Peasant Territorialities in Los Ríos, Chile

Abstract

Chile is one of the top 10 countries in the world in terms of land allocated to tree plantations, reaching 2.4 million ha in 2016. Particularly in South-central Chile huge tree plantations were developed under an extractivist model, which massively changed landscapes, ecosystems, and human-nature relations. The process was increasingly legitimized through a sustainability discourse based on notions of soil protection, sustainable development and, more recently, green economy. Concomitantly, the Chilean state increased the number and size of protected areas for nature conservation. Until recently, however, both models have largely failed to include local communities. In this context, we analyse territorial transformations between tree plantation extractivism and primary forest conservation taking the case of a peasant group that inhabits the sector Lomas del Sol, in the municipality of Valdivia, Region of Los Ríos, South-central Chile. Lomas del Sol is located between the forest reserve of Llancahue, considered of high conservation value since it supplies water for the city of Valdivia, and industrial tree plantations (pine and eucalyptus) that were often developed on previously peasants land. The study is based on empirical local field research using participatory action research and mixed techniques which allow us to present an in-depth description of the territorial transformation processes. The chapter provides a discussion about the tensions between the territoriality of smallholder peasants, forest conservation, and tree plantations. We conclude that while tensions emerged more vividly between the local territoriality and the conservation model, the silent trigger of territorial transformation has been the extractivist tree plantation model.