Connectivity, Tourism, and Conservation: From Extractive Appropriation to Socio-Environmental Reappropriation of Nature in Aysén

Abstract

This chapter explores how connectivity has interacted with tourism andnature conservation in the Aysén region of Chilean Patagonia, and some of thesocial, environmental, and territorial issues that have arisen from this articulation.We posit that the Longitudinal Austral Highway (Carretera Austral, in Spanish), asa road that facilitates connectivity and access to natural environments throughoutthe Aysén region, has operated as the mobilizing axis for different processes of valuingand appropriating nature. We argue that the links between connectivity, tourism,and conservation have changed over time, as actors’ material and symbolic appropriationsof nature in Patagonia have evolved. Our goal with this chapter is to informongoing Chilean debate about the ways in which nature should be valued as thecountry moves forward. Our case study research identifies and discusses the newsocial, environmental, and territorial processes brought about by the CarreteraAustral and the consequent resignification and reappropriation of nature that has occurred in Aysén. We base our case study on review of secondary data sourcesincluding public reports, plans, and policies related to the Carretera Austral and territorialdevelopment, as well as scholarly research on related topics, including values,identity, territorial transformation, and heritage.