‘Oro verde’: La invención del paisaje forestal en Wallmapu/Araucanía, sur de Chile
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Date
2021
Journal Title
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Volume Title
Publisher
Asociacion Española de Geografía
Abstract
Desde su incorporación a la República de Chile, Wallmapu/Araucanía ha sido objeto de importantes transformaciones territoriales. Una vez usurpada la tierra al pueblo mapuche, llegó el momento de explotar los fértiles valles e inexpugnables bosques para dar inicio al cultivo de trigo y su explotación que duró hasta inicios del siglo XX. Este trabajo busca indagar en la ‘invención’ del paisaje forestal del ‘Oro Verde’ en este territorio, utilizando para ello el enfoque de la ecología política histórica y el marco de ‘paisajes de poder’ en particular. A partir del análisis e interpretación de fuentes históricas, incluyendo cartografía, fotografía y textos, se (re)construye la trayectoria de este paisaje, haciendo énfasis en el rol de la ciencia, la promulgación de leyes, la creación de instituciones y la influencia de instituciones internacionales, quienes durante gran parte del siglo XX allanaron el camino para la llegada de grandes empresas, quienes bajo la dictadura iniciaron un ‘boom’ forestal sin precedentes. Las conclusiones apuntan a la importancia de transitar desde el concepto neutro de vocación territorial hacia la invención del paisaje como una construcción social basada en relaciones de poder que llevan a la dominación y la exclusión
Since the incorporation of the Wallmapu/Araucanía territory into the Republic of Chile, important transformations in this territory have been taken place. Once the land was usurped from the Mapuche people, fertile valleys and dense forests were replaced by wheat cultivation until the early twentieth century. This article explores the ‘invention’ of so-called ‘Green Gold’ forest landscape in this region, using historical political ecology and a ‘landscapes of power’ framework. Based on the analysis and interpretation of historical sources, including cartography, photography and texts, we reconstruct the historical trajectory of this landscape, emphasizing the role of science, the enactment of laws, the creation of new institutions and the influence of international organizations. These influences paved the way for large forestry firms to emerge, primarily under dictatorship (1973-1989), which in turn generated an unprecedented plantation forestry ‘boom’ that transformed the regional landscape. The conclusions highlight the importance of shifting from a neutral concept of territorial attributes to the invention of landscapes, as a social construction based on power relations that lead to domination and exclusion.
Since the incorporation of the Wallmapu/Araucanía territory into the Republic of Chile, important transformations in this territory have been taken place. Once the land was usurped from the Mapuche people, fertile valleys and dense forests were replaced by wheat cultivation until the early twentieth century. This article explores the ‘invention’ of so-called ‘Green Gold’ forest landscape in this region, using historical political ecology and a ‘landscapes of power’ framework. Based on the analysis and interpretation of historical sources, including cartography, photography and texts, we reconstruct the historical trajectory of this landscape, emphasizing the role of science, the enactment of laws, the creation of new institutions and the influence of international organizations. These influences paved the way for large forestry firms to emerge, primarily under dictatorship (1973-1989), which in turn generated an unprecedented plantation forestry ‘boom’ that transformed the regional landscape. The conclusions highlight the importance of shifting from a neutral concept of territorial attributes to the invention of landscapes, as a social construction based on power relations that lead to domination and exclusion.
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Keywords
Ecología política histórica, Paisaje, Geografía histórica, Geografía política, Political geography, Historical political ecology, Historical geography, Landscape