Los humedales como expresión de conflictos espaciales: El Cementerio y Ciénaga Mateo, Bugalagrande, Colombia

Abstract

We analyze spatial conflicts in two wetlands in the Department of Valle del Cauca between the mid-20th century and the beginning of the 21st century. These conflicts developed within a context of transformation produced by: 1) social agents linked to sugarcane agribusiness; 2) the State and its neoliberal policies and 3) the local communities that resist the power exercised by the first two. We use Lefebvre's theory of social production of space to reveal asymmetries in the power relations between these three agents, and show spatial injustices produced by these asymmetries. Theoretical and empirical arguments are provided as a basis for critical reflection by local communities and the scientific community regarding environmental studies and wetland conservation.