Do Large-Scale Forestry Companies Generate Prosperity in Indigenous Communities? The Socioeconomic Impacts of Tree Plantations in Southern Chile

Hofflinger, Álvaro; Nahuelpán, Héctor; Boso, Àlex; Millalén, Pablo

doi:10.1007/s10745-020-00204-x

Cited by 15 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 48 publications

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“…The products mainly exported are sawnwood and (chemical) pulpwood, and roundwood plays a minor role [66]. While plantations contribute macroeconomically [48,67], the effects on regional and community welfare remain strongly contested [19,59,68].…”

Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

“…With regard to land use change in Chile, based on the available research results, since the end of the 2000s the question is no longer whether deforestation in favor of the forest industry has taken place [26,27]. There are also already comprehensive results available on what socio-economic impacts land use change has at the regional and local levels [19,[58][59][60]68,112,142]. The central question is how the present results can generate a change in forest policy and governance that can lead to a more socially just and ecologically sustainable forest model [143,144].…”

Section: Open Research Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Very quickly, however, the Chilean state recognized the strategic potential of the plantation industry sector. On the one hand, there was an increasing market demand for wood-based products, and on the other hand, the plantation industry supported Chile's industrialization [19]. Two plantation industry laws (1931 and 1974) strongly promoted the expansion of the forestry industry [20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This land use change inverted the original environmental goal of erosion control [56,57]. Moreover, it triggered further environmental problems [45,58] and exacerbated negative social developments in rural areas [19,59,60]. If one considers that almost 50% of the land designated for afforestation measures as a result of the Paris Agreement is to come from commercial plantations [61] and that many of these areas are located in regions with "weak governance" [8], then it must be feared that the developments observed in Chile will be repeated in other countries.…”

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confidence: 99%

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Deforestation by Afforestation: Land Use Change in the Coastal Range of Chile

Braun

2022

Remote Sensing

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In southern Chile, an establishment of a plantation-based forest industry occurred early in the industrial era. Forest companies claim that plantations were established on eroded lands. However, the plantation industry is under suspicion to have expanded its activities by clearing near-natural forests since the early 1970s. This paper uses a methodologically complex classification approach from own previously published research to elucidate land use dynamics in southern Chile. It uses spatial data (extended morphological profiles) in addition to spectral data from historical Landsat imagery, which are fusioned by kernel composition and then classified in a multiple classifier system (based on support, import and relevance vector machines). In a large study area (~67,000 km2), land use change is investigated in a narrow time frame (five-year steps from 1975 to 2010) in a two-way (prospective and retrospective) analysis. The results are discussed synoptically with other results on Chile. Two conclusions can be drawn for the coastal range. Near-natural forests have always been felled primarily in favor of the plantation industry. Vice versa, industrial plantations have always been primarily established on sites, that were formerly forest covered. This refutes the claim that Chilean plantations were established primarily to restore eroded lands; also known as badlands. The article further shows that Chile is not an isolated case of deforestation by afforestation, which has occurred in other countries alike. Based on the findings, it raises the question of the extent to which the Chilean example could be replicated in other countries through afforestation by market economy and climate change mitigation.

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Section: Study Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Open Research Questionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Deforestation by Afforestation: Land Use Change in the Coastal Range of Chile

Braun

2022

Remote Sensing

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“…The resulting modernized industrial forestry activity represents the main threat to Chile's Valdivian rainforest primary forest formations. Research shows that the industry has increased poverty and inequality in nearby indigenous and non-indigenous communities and violent conflict about land usage [34,35].…”

Section: History and Productive Transformation Within The Biomementioning

confidence: 99%

Unraveling the Differences in Landcover Patterns in High Mountains and Low Mountain Environments within the Valdivian Temperate Rainforest Biome in Chile

Hora

Almonacid

González‐Reyes

2022

Land

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The Valdivian temperate rainforest (VTR) is a biome on the South American continent with high endemism that has experienced an intensive land-cover change in recent decades due to the expansion of agriculture, plantations of introduced forests, and urban growth. Today, the biome hosts key parts of the country’s agricultural and forestry industries. Previous studies focused on quantifying native forest and plantation cover area and exotic forest plantation area, among others. However, the importance of mountain areas as refuge of native forest in Chile remains unexplored. The aim of this research is to highlight the role of latitude and slope on land cover in the VTR. A new methodological approach was used combining global classified datasets. Our results indicate that high mountain areas are the core location of the remaining primary forests and endemism whereas low mountain areas are dominated by exotic forest plantations. Between 40–48° S (The Los Ríos, Los Lagos, and Aysén Regions and high-mountain areas), in general, serve as a natural reservoir where human-induced land-cover change has not occurred on a large scale. Most public and private conservation areas are in high mountain areas, whereas low mountain areas and plain areas lack conservation schemes and are more prone to land cover change towards forestry. Considering geomorphological features in land cover change analysis can reveal interesting new perspectives in this research area.

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