Challenges and opportunities of implementing the marine and coastal areas for indigenous peoples policy in Chile

Abstract

The Marine and Coastal Areas for Indigenous Peoples (MCAIP) policy in Chile has the potential for scaling up marine biodiversity and cultural conservation through assigning access and management rights over marine areas to indigenous communities. While the policy is dominated by state institutions and frames management under western science protocols, it offers the opportunity to control unregulated activities, restore marine ecosystems and develop management plans which include traditional knowledge. In this article we review the policy implementation process and highlight current opportunities and threats, which if left unattended could jeopardize the policy. Currently, 91 areas have been requested by indigenous communities and are at various stages of the application and implementation process. Current spatial scale status at different levels of application procedure represent nearly 31.959 km2 of marine coastal zones. Key challenges of policy implementation relate to differences in worldviews between Indigenous communities and state institutions. Problems also relate to time frames and financial resources for the implementation of the policy and conflict which arises from concerns from non-indigenous artisanal fishers, who have legal access rights to fisheries, under the narrative that new access rights would limit existing livelihood alternatives and increase fishing pressure with the consequent diminishment of resources. Ensuring a legitimate implementation of the policy is a key starting point to enable further recognition of indigenous communities’ rights for self-determination in Chile.