Using the Ecosystem Services Approach to Understand the Distributional Effects of Marine Protected Areas in the Chilean Patagonia

Abstract

Gains in biodiversity from marine conservation might not correlate with a fair distribution of benefits across different social actors. In this chapter, we analyze the case of the marine protected area of multiple uses (MPA-MU) Seno Almirantazgo in the Magallanes region, created by the Chilean Government in 2018. We apply the ecosystem services (ES) lens to analyze perceived distributional effects of the implementation of the MPA-MU. Social actors’ perceptions revealed three main scenarios: (i) the MPA-MU will generate benefits derived from the enhancement of specific ES; (ii) those benefits will not be distributed equally across social actors, where perception identified fishers as the potential “losers” and tour operators as the main “winners”; and (iii) changes in ocean access rights are perceived as the main barrier preventing an equitable distribution of monetary and non-monetary benefits. These perceptions are linked to three different dimensions of environmental justice (distribution, procedure, recognition), which are largely omitted in the conservation planning and particularly in Chile. The ES lens can be a useful tool to implement actions that include these dimensions in early stages of marine protected areas planning. However, such inclusion requires a large transformation of the institutional settings that nowadays influence marine conservation rules in the Chilean Patagonia.