Political and Social Dimensions of Conservation

This is a very transformative time in Chilean conservation management. During 2022, the Chilean Constitutional Convention developed a draft new constitution, which includes a serious focus on environmental and natural resource conservation. On September 4th, 2022 the plebiscite decided to reject it. So, many local researchers, and practitioners in different conservation areas are concerned about the implications of it an effective conservation process. In another hand, many media outlets, such as CNN, the New York Times, and The Economist have had recent profiles on the influence of foreign private entities largely shaping the conservation scene in Chile. This course explores the decision-making apparatus within Chile and delves into the complexity of what societies decide to conserve, why societies decide to conserve or not, which places/things we choose to conserve or not, what the cost is (in human capital, economic capital, and to ecosystem services) when we choose to conserve or not, and who ultimately are the power brokers of the conservation movement in Patagonia (corporations, government entities, NGOs, foreigners, etc.), and by extension, how do the Chilean conservation management objectives and operations map onto the broader world stage? This course will stimulate debate and exploration and send students home with unprecedented insight.