Chilean Land Returns: No Forest Gains Found

In Chile, a 30-year initiative returning ancestral lands to the Mapuche people has concluded without significant environmental gains. Between 1994 and 2023, over 510,000 acres were restituted. However, a study revealed native forest cover remained largely static, with slight increases in agricultural pasture.

Researchers from UC Santa Barbara and the University of Talca analyzed satellite data, finding that land use post-restitution was driven by traditional Mapuche economic practices, such as livestock raising. This countered expectations that expanded native forests would naturally follow land rights restoration.

The study emphasizes that the primary purpose of land restitution is to rectify historical injustices and restore self-determination to Indigenous communities. It cautions against the simplistic view that land rights automatically equate to environmental restoration.

Lead author Dany Jaimovich noted that the program's main goal is addressing historical dispossession. Improving damaged ecosystems might necessitate additional financial aid for conservation projects. Researchers are now examining other aspects of the Indigenous Law, such as land sale restrictions.