I obtained a bachelor in economics at Universidad de Chile in 2004, developing a thesis on the economy of Aymara indigenous people in Northern Chile. After finished bachelor studies, I started living in small fisher localities (caletas) in Central Chile, where I worked for more than three years with fisher unions and federations in areas such as fishery co-management, social engagement, and resource leverage, as a member of the Chilean Foundation for Poverty Eradication. In 2007, I moved to the city of Valdivia, Southern Chile, where I worked as a professional of the Foundation Un Techo para Chile in finding permanent housing solutions for poor people of the marginal neighborhoods of the region. In 2012 I obtained a Master degree in Rural Development by Universidad Austral de Chile, developing a thesis on the valuation of cultural ecosystem services. Thereafter, I worked as a researcher and lecturer in the Universidad Austral de Chile, participating in different national and international academic projects in the areas of ecosystem services, agricultural economics, and climate change.

Governing nature conservation and mobile agents in the marine and coastal spaces of Southern Patagonia

Nature conservation projects in southern Chile have generated enclosed spaces, promoting the mobility of some social groups (e.g. tourists and scientists), while restricting or regulating the mobility of others (e.g. fishermen and indigenous people). Although these conservation projects have contributed to avoiding ecological degradation, the establishment of bounded conservation spaces is bringing social implications for the sovereignty and equity in accessing and using natural resources. At the same time mobile actors and activities associated with conservation and resource use transcend these fixed boundaries. This in turn has raised questions over the effectiveness of area-based approaches to conservation. Against this background, this project explores and analyses the governance of mobility and immobility of various actors and sectors in relation to the burgeoning spatial claims of nature conservation projects in the marine and coastal spaces of Southern Patagonia, Chile. Fieldwork will generate data by tracking and analysing the movement of these actors and sectors by collecting information through participant observation, interviews and meetings.

Bachelor in Economics sciences at Universidad de Chile

MSc in Rural Development at Universidad Austral de Chile