Land Size, Native Forests, and Ecosystem Service Inequalities in the Rural Chilean Patagonia

Abstract

In this chapter we pose two questions: (i) Does land size relates to forests and ecosystem service (ES) provision concentration? (ii) Do these spatial concentration patterns relate to expressions of vulnerability such as poverty, low human development, and natural capital loss at the municipality level? For the entire Chilean Patagonia and neighboring Biobio region, we found strong positive correlations (>0.92) between land holding size, native forest, and ES provision (as measured by the Ecosystem Service Provision Index). At the municipality level (n = 147), spatial cluster analysis identified five groups. Group 1 comprised 12 municipalities with high Gini coefficients (high inequality) for land size, native forest area, ES provision, and income, high poverty rates, low levels of human development, medium level of rural and indigenous population, high deforestation and afforestation rates, and high ES loss rates. In the other extreme, group 3 comprised 13 municipalities characterized by the coincidence of low Gini coefficients for land size, native forest area, ES provision, and income, lower poverty rates, higher levels of human development, higher levels of rural population, lower deforestation and low afforestation rates, and low ES loss rates. The results corroborate (i) a trilogy of inequalities, where larger landholders concentrate on land, native forests, and ES provision and (ii) a “trap”-like pattern in some municipalities, where inequalities are linked to poverty and natural capital loss, which is more prevalent in municipalities with a medium proportion of indigenous population. The results corroborate the great inequalities that prevail in the Chilean Patagonia, which demand a shift in land, rural development, and natural resources policies. Any conservation or management instrument based on ES provision must consider this context, with a view to avoiding further inequalities.