Linking land use change in south-central Chile and international trade agreements

Background/Question/Methods

Since the onset of the human enterprise, growing demands for food, timber and water drove changes in the extent, structure, and diversity of wild habitats. In the developed world, loss of wild habitat has recently been moderated by the concentration and intensification of agricultural practices and by a broader social recognition of environmental values. This postindustrial recovery of forest cover in developed nations is coupled to increasing deforestation in developing countries that have become the external suppliers of timber and other natural capital. In this context, at the beginning of the 21st century land use change in most developing countries is largely driven by the demands of global economy. Current ecological and social impacts of fast changing land cover in Chile, as well as other developing world countries, can be best viewed as externalities of global free-trade agreements. Here we use official nation’s statistics to show how land cover has been modified in south-central Chile before and after the signature of international free-trade agreements.

Results/Conclusions

Industrial forestry, based on government-subsidized massive plantations of exotic trees in south-central Chile, developed mainly after the 1970’s. Export of wood products (about 50% cellulose) increased in 30% between 2009 and 2010, and in 2011 represented 40 % of total national income. Forestry exports increased 150% from the year 2000 to 2006, after most free-trade agreements were signed. In the last decades, economic globalization and signed free-trade agreements with 46 countries (European Union, Australia, U.S., Central America, China, Korea, Japan among others) since 1999, have promoted the expansion of new and existing crops linked to foreign demands (e.g., vineyards, avocados, olives). Such trends are matched by an overall decline of native woodlands, despite modest increases in forest cover in isolated specific areas. To prevent further depletion of native forest resources and to provide an insurance against climate change, in the 21st century developing nations in Latin America should aim at: (1) relocating subsidies from extensive monocultures to restoring native forest diversity and ecosystems services, (2) promoting adaptive management of landscapes including mixed forest and crop ecosystems, and (3) integrating traditional ecological knowledge and local citizen participation in planning and management decisions.