Exploring Social Representations of Nature-Based Tourism, Development Conflict, and Sustainable Development Futures in Chilean Patagonia

Abstract

AbstractThis chapter explored how Modernization, Transformation, and Control Sustainable Development (SD) imaginaries and trajectories interacted, nuanced, and mediated the approaches of neoliberaldevelopment initiatives and the conflicts which surrounded them. A collective case study approach was employed to better understand actors, their strategies, and perceptions about three large-scale development proposals, the Patagonia National Parks network, the HidroAysén hydroelectric project, and the Río Cuervo hydroelectric project. We identified six themes that characterized participants’ preferences related to processes: a desire for greater proactiveness around transparency, a bindingparticipation process of governance, bottom-up decision making, re-empowerment of local groups, decentralization, and improved oversight practices. Further, directed content analysis revealed numerous manifestations of the three SD futures trajectories and several examples of interactions and overlap between the SD imaginaries. Seemingly, some development actors navigated between SD imaginaries and tactics to maneuver between local and national actors, agendas, and decision-making processes. We have termed these tactics as SD agility, which are initially defined as: “the strategic ability to maneuver between SD imaginaries and trajectories to achieve strategic SD outcomes.” SD agility tactics merit additional study as we believe they may represent an important capacity for SD futures trajectories.