Resource Extraction and Local Justice in Chile: Conflicts Over the Commodification of Spaces and the Sustainable Development of Places

Abstract

As democracy has become more consolidated in Chile, there has been an emergence of socio-environmental conflicts, indicative of the desire of local actors to oppose large-scale projects associated with “national development” that do not satisfy local development needs. This can be seen as a conflict between two different visions of development, one based on local resources and sustainable development of places, the other based on nonlocal capital and the commodification of spaces. Chile remains wedded to natural resource extraction for its export-oriented economic model, despite its recognition as a Latin American “jaguar” economy since the early 1980s (Borregaard, Volpi, Blanco, Wautiez, & Matte-Baker, 1999). Over 80 percent of its exports are based on minerals, agriculture, and fisheries; most of these have a relatively low level of added value (ProChile, 2010). The intensity of extraction and harvesting to fuel this growth has led to concerns over the sustainability of different sectors and the economy itself. Since the return to democracy in 1990, these criticisms have become more vocal and globalization has facilitated international alliances to channel these claims (Kousary, Murray, & Barton, 2009; Martínez, 2003). These criticisms relate to environmental and social justice issues that can be defined as claims for local sustainable development.