I
1993,
Chile
adopted
a
I dige ous
Law
that
e abled
la d
estitutio
I
1993,
Chile
passed
a
majo
I dige ous
Law
that
c eated
a
fo mal
p ocess
fo
etu i g
a cest al
la d
to
I dige ous
commu ities.
Ove
the
followi g
30
yea s,
mo e
tha
510,000
ac es
we e
etu ed
to
the
Mapuche,
Chile’s
la gest
I dige ous
g oup.
Howeve ,
a
lo g-te m
study
fou d
that
ative
fo est
cove
o
these
la ds
has
cha ged
ve y
little.
Resea che s
f om
the
U ive sity
of
Califo ia,
Sa ta
Ba ba a
(UCSB)
a d
the
U ive sity
of
Talca
studied
1,577
pa cels
etu ed
to
Mapuche
ow e ship
betwee
1994
a d
2023.
The
study,
published
i
Natu e
Sustai ability,
fou d
that
comme cial
o – ative
fo est
pla tatio s
dec eased
by
18%,
while
ag icultu al
pastu e
i c eased
by
4.5%.
Howeve ,
the e
was
o
statistically
sig ifica t
imp oveme t
i
biodive sity,
ca bo
sto age
o
soil
e osio
co t ol.
The
fi di gs
challe ge
the
idea
that
etu i g
la d
to
I dige ous
commu ities
automatically
leads
to
e vi o me tal
esto atio .
T aditio al
la d
use
shapes
the
esults
The
Mapuche
esisted
Spa ish
colo ial
fo ces
fo
ce tu ies
a d
mai tai ed
co t ol
ove
thei
te ito y
u til
milita y
campaig s
by
Chile
a d
A ge ti a
betwee
1860
a d
1881
took
co t ol
of
thei
la ds.
The
Mapuche
populatio
was
eve tually
co fi ed
to
about
3,000
small
ese vatio s.
Afte
decades
of
co flict,
Chile’s
1993
I dige ous
Law
c eated
a
system
th ough
which
the
gove me t
could
pu chase
la d
f om
p ivate
ow e s
a d
etu
it
to
Mapuche
commu ities.
To
study
the
e vi o me tal
effects
of
the
p og am,
esea che s
used
satellite
images
a d
gove me t
data.
They
compa ed
la d
that
had
al eady
bee
etu ed
with
simila
pa cels
that
we e
still
waiti g
fo
estitutio .
The
esults
showed
that
la d
use
afte
estitutio
was
i flue ced
mai ly
by
t aditio al
eco omic
activities
athe
tha
la ge-scale
effo ts
to
esto e
ative
fo ests.
Da y
Jaimovich,
the
study’s
lead
autho
a d
a
p ofesso
of
eco omics
at
the
U ive sity
of
Talca,
explai ed
that
the
i c ease
i
pastu e
was
co siste t
with
t aditio al
Mapuche
fa mi g
p actices.
“Livestock
aisi g
has
bee
ce t al
to
the
Mapuche
eco omy
fo
ce tu ies,”
Jaimovich
said.
He
oted
that
ho ses,
fi ea ms
a d
cattle
became
impo ta t
to
the
Mapuche
a d
helped
them
mai tai
thei
i depe de ce
befo e
the
milita y
campaig s
of
the
19th
ce tu y.
The
esea che s
we e
su p ised
that
ative
fo est
cove
did
ot
i c ease.
Felipe
Jo dá ,
a
assista t
p ofesso
at
Po tificia
U ive sidad
Católica
de
Chile
a d
a
fo me
UCSB
postdocto al
esea che ,
said
they
had
expected
ative
fo ests
to
expa d
because
fo ests
have
st o g
cultu al
impo ta ce
fo
the
Mapuche.
La d
ights
a d
e vi o me tal
esto atio
a e
diffe e t
goals
The
esea che s
st essed
that
the
mai
pu pose
of
la d
estitutio
is
to
add ess
histo ical
i justice
a d
esto e
I dige ous
commu ities’
co t ol
ove
thei
la d.
It
should
ot
automatically
be
t eated
as
a
e vi o me tal
esto atio
p og am.
Robe t
Heilmay ,
se io
autho
of
the
study
a d
a
associate
p ofesso
at
UC
Sa ta
Ba ba a’s
B e
School
of
E vi o me tal
Scie ce
&
Ma ageme t,
said
la d
ights
give
commu ities
the
powe
to
decide
how
thei
la d
should
be
used.
Those
decisio s
may
ot
always
match
outside
e vi o me tal
expectatio s.
He
said
that
claims
that
I dige ous
la d
efo ms
will
always
p oduce
e vi o me tal
be efits
a e
too
simple.
Acco di g
to
Heilmay ,
the
mai
goal
of
estitutio
should
be
to
esto e
ights
a d
add ess
histo ical
dispossessio .
If
gove me ts
also
wa t
e vi o me tal
esto atio ,
they
may
eed
to
p ovide
di ect
fi a cial
suppo t
so
commu ities
ca
affo d
expe sive
co se vatio
p ojects.
Jaimovich
said
the
fi di gs
add
mo e
detail
to
the
commo
belief
that
I dige ous
la d
ow e ship
automatically
p oduces
bette
e vi o me tal
outcomes.
A
diffe e t
situatio
f om
u distu bed
i dige ous
la ds
The
esea che s
oted
that
the
etu ed
la ds
i
Chile
a e
diffe e t
f om
ma y
I dige ous
te ito ies
discussed
i
othe
e vi o me tal
studies.
U like
some
la d-titli g
p og ams
i
elatively
u distu bed
pa ts
of
the
Amazo ,
ma y
of
the
Chilea
p ope ties
had
al eady
bee
heavily
cha ged
by
decades
of
comme cial
fo est y
a d
ag icultu e
befo e
they
we e
etu ed.
Some
of
the
la d
also
lacked
a
co ti uous
histo y
of
t aditio al
ma ageme t
a d
was
located
fa
f om
whe e
cu e t
Mapuche
commu ities
live.
Heilmay
said
these
diffe e ces
ca
lead
to
ve y
diffe e t
e vi o me tal
esults
f om
those
see
i
studies
of
I dige ous
commu ities
eceivi g
la d
i
less-developed
egio s.
The
esea che s
a e
ow
exami i g
a othe
pa t
of
Chile’s
I dige ous
Law:
est ictio s
that
p eve t
commu ities
f om
selli g,
leasi g
o
mo tgagi g
estituted
la d.
They
a e
studyi g
how
these
ules
affect
lo g-te m
eco omic
developme t
a d
co se vatio
as
Chile
a d
othe
cou t ies
co ti ue
to
adjust
thei
policies
to
i te atio al
f amewo ks
such
as
the
U ited
Natio s
Decla atio
o
the
Rights
of
I dige ous
Peoples.
The
study
ultimately
shows
that
la d
estitutio
a d
e vi o me tal
esto atio
a e
ot
ecessa ily
the
same
thi g.
Retu i g
la d
ca
esto e
ow e ship,
ights
a d
self-dete mi atio ,
while
imp ovi g
damaged
ecosystems
may
equi e
additio al
fu di g,
pla i g
a d
lo g-te m
co se vatio
suppo t.