3.2. Social research in a SMCE
3.2.1. The Aysén Region: introducing the context
This section presents the main results of the first step of a SMCE, that is, the historical, institutional and biophysical analysis of the region.
The Aysén Region, located in the Chilean Patagonia (see Figure 2), is a young region in socio-economic and environmental terms. An adverse weather and a long distance from the more populated urban centres characterize this region. Its land of 11 millions of hectares is inhabited by 90 thousands of people, whose settlement began at the beginning of the XXth century.
Table 2 briefly describes the processes of settlement and development of the Aysén Region.
The table presents the history of the region divided in three periods: from settlement to the 50's, the second half of the XXth century and the current situation. It also presents the social and economic dynamics of the area, and the public policies implemented in the region.
Figure 2: The Aysén Region
Table 2: The Aysén Region: Its settlement and development Settlement
(From later XIX century to first half of XX century)
Development (Second half of XX century)
Current situation
There were two parallel settlement processes in the Aysén Region: the so-called
“spontaneous” and
“programmed” migration flows.
These migration flows has shaped the regional society.
The spontaneous migration brought people from: the northern region of Chiloé and from Argentina. The formers were looking for better opportunities and the lasts were expelled from Argentina.
At the same time, the Chilean government tried to
incorporate the region to the national activity through a programmed settlement. Some commercial societies received big land extensions in order to develop the livestock activities.
In exchange, those societies had to invest in some
infrastructures and to pay the transportation of workers and their families.
Most of those commercial societies could not afford the government’s conditions and left the region. The families that remained in the region joined the other colonists and together started to shape the regional cultural identity.
In the beginning of the 50's, Puerto Aysén was the main economic center of the region and many services were established there: the post and telegraph office, the public sickbay, the custom-house, the agriculture governmental office, and the maritime sub-delegation.
But two episodes changed the situation: the change of the location of the port from Puerto Aysén to Puerto Chacabuco at the end of the 50’s and the
decentralization process later on.
As of 1974, Coyhaique was declared the regional capital (it was dictatorship times and the regional headquarters were there) and mosts of public offices and civil servants moved to Coyhaique. This changed the dynamics of the two cities. Civil servants earn a 105% of over wage, which has propelled the economy of Coyhaique. On the other hand, the inhabitants of Puerto Aysén work mainly in the fishing and aquaculture industry, which are export oriented.
People say that these industries pay salaries that are not enough to afford the regional living cost.
From the 1960’s rural population has started to migrate to the city.
Currently, 80% of the regional population is urban. In social terms, people living under the poverty line has decreased 50%. But, the cost of life – in terms of electricity, water and transport prices – remains one of the highest at national scale
(CEPAL/LPES/CORFO, 2002), Moreover, as of 1996, the richest 20% of the population was 9 times wealthier than the poorest 20% of the population. As of 2000, the this difference raised to 12 times.
These inequalities are higher in Puerto Aysén rather than in Coyhaique.
The unemployment index is one of the lower at national level.
However, it is important to note that 23% of the jobs are temporal and the non-qualified characteristic of the required labor affect salary levels and schooling.
Some other regional statistics indicate the need to give more attention to schooling at lower and upper levels, overcome the deficit of medical specialties and
decentralizing the health sector, and adapting housing to climate
conditions. Nevertheless, there are satisfying levels of urban and rural electrification, telephone system, potable water and sewer systems.
P
Public policies were aimed at:
ordering the land possession process, consolidating the regional settlement and annexing the regional economy to the national context.
The bankruptcies of most of the commercial societies and the ecological damage in the region (deforestation and big fires) are two consequences of public policies under lack of both information and experience.
The central government promoted new development plans. It moved more public employees to the region.
One of the main objectives of the dictatorship in this region was to improve the connection of this zone with the rest of the country.
The Carretera Austral (Austral road) is the most important and costly work in the region. It was constructed between 1976 and 1996, and the main workforce came from the military service.
The Regional Government and the Planning and Coordination Regional Secretariat (SEGEPLAN) are carrying out a Territorial Ordering Program.
This plan is inserted in the Regional Development Strategies 2000-2006.
The program tries to orient the regional private and public investment policy. It also tries to resolve land-use conflicts by means of public participation and
coordination among economic sectors. The proposal of land-uses is based on the (in)compatibility of different economic activities currently developed on the territory
Settlement
(From later XIX century to first half of XX century)
Development (Second half of XX century)
Current situation
The livestock sector was the motor of the economy, but ignorance and undiscriminated exploitation of natural resources characterized their behavior: three millions of hectares were burned in order to clear land for the
development of this activity.
Forestry addressed its production mainly for local consumption, But Cypress was indiscriminately extracted for exporting. Subsistence agriculture was practiced in temperate zones (like lake’s shores), and fishing and mining started to be practiced.
Stockbreeding started to coexist with agriculture and craft-fishing (both for subsistence). The government promoted forestry in order to repair the damages caused by the fire.
The undiscriminated forest clearing was one of the main causes of the accumulation of sediments of the Aysén river.
Which, in turn, fostered the change of the location of the port to Puerto Chacabuco.
The fist tourist project is built in Laguna San Rafael, and the economic diversification started to consolidate with a mining project and the arrival of some traders. Besides, fishing and livestock sectors begun to industrialize their activity by means of constructing a preserving seafood plant, a slaughterhouse and a dairy.
The regional economy has a gross regional product (GRP) of 400 millions of dollars, which represents 0.5% of the GNP in 1998.
In economic terms, aquaculture activity has grown impressively the last decades. Aquaculture is the basis of the fishing sector, which has grown 1.738,6% between 1985 and 1997.
Tourism sector also shows promising perspectives for the future. Its development relies upon fly-fishing, eco-tourism and canals navigation.
The temporal character of jobs and the concentration of income are the main critics on this activity.
Other economic activities promoted by the local government are those related with clean food production.
Source: Own elaboration based on the historical and institutional analysis.
Nowadays, the population lives mostly in Coyhaique (the regional capital) and Puerto Aysén.
The former has half of the regional inhabitants and the public services are its main activity, which give an important impulse to the city’s economy. 21 thousand of people inhabit Puerto Aysén. The principal activities are the industrial and craft fishing, and the salmon-farming industry. The cities are separated 60 kilometres from each other, and people perceive strong inequalities in the standards of living (much higher in the regional capital).
In 2001, the Canadian mining company Noranda submitted to the Regional Environmental Commission (COREMA) an EISt of an aluminium smelter plant project in Chacabuco bay, the main maritime entry to the region and the regional operation centre of the aquaculture
Figure 3: Puerto Aysén (A) and Coyhaique (B)
A B
industry (see Figure 4), starting a two years EIAS embedded in an intense environmental conflict.
The following section presents a brief description of the project and the conflict around it, in other words, a summary of the collected information by means of the institutional analysis.