Mapuche Struggles for Land and the Role of Private Protected Areas in Chile

The Chilean system of public protected areas (PPAs) has several problems that restrict its capacity in the process of biodiversity conservation. Since a large portion of the territory is privately owned, private protected areas are increasingly considered an important element to address national conservation goals. International and local non-governmental organizations (NGOs), companies, communities, and private landowners have created more than 500 private conservation projects in Chile in the last decade. This research describes the conflicts to extend private conservation on indigenous territories. Using interviews with experts from academia, NGOs, business, indigenous communities, and public agencies, the research reveals that conservation is not a "tension-free" terrain and that certain policies could exacerbate conflicts of interest related to Mapuche territory. Indigenous communities can assume control over natural resources for conservation purposes and by creating of indigenous parks. However, the ability of these communities to conduct conservation projects is limited by the lack of funds which compromises the sustainability of the projects. Two questions follow this debate: Is there political resistance to the indigenous parks idea, and what is the role of conservation organizations in sponsoring the creation of indigenous parks?