The New Borders of Participation in Protected Areas, from Ethnicisation to Local (Dis)Integration: The Case of Chile
Résumé
In Chile, there is a spatial coincidence between the majority of protected areas, the majority of indigenous communities and the international border with Argentina and, to a lesser extent, with Bolivia. Historical links between border control, conservation areas and the colonisation of indigenous territories are notorious and continue to influence the contemporary management of Chilean protected areas. Environmental conservation in Chile is therefore well connected with the notions of border and boundaries, whether international, local or even ethnic, and this represents a crucial context for understanding Chilean conservation. In this chapter, we therefore explore the notion of participation—or “participatory management”—of local people in the management of protected areas. The first part examines the multi-border context of Chilean protected areas. In the second part, we highlight that participation is a tool to manage and legitimise the borders of conservation areas. Finally, the third part analyses how participation remakes ethnic borders, whether integrative or disputed, by discussing two case studies in the Atacameño and Mapuche historical territories in Chile.