A Marine Reserve and Household Nexus: Chilean Livelihood Adaptations at Four Sites in the Coquimbo and Atacama Regions.

Abstract

How do households in an arid coastal zone adapt to a national marine reserve, national park, and tourism development while sustaining their traditional livelihood practices? Policies from this Marine Protected Area (MPA), compounded by drought, possible coal power plant construction, and limited resource access, threaten rural fishing households throughout Chile. To date, little research has been conducted on how these multiple external pressures shape women and men's household roles and their livelihood practices. I am studying 1) how women and men's household decisions in the rural Chilean communities of Los Choros, Punta de Choros, Chañaral de Aceituno, and Carrizalillo change with current social and environmental pressures; and 2) how these decisions affect the way women and men, and their households, interact with Pingüino de Humboldt National Reserve and Isla Choros, Isla Damas, and Isla Chañaral Marine Reserve. This longitudinal study, from September 2007 to December 2009, uses a political ecology framework which applies mixed methods approaches to arrive at a cross-section of perspectives and experiences in the four communities. I discovered that women and men have diversified their traditional livelihoods as pastoralists, fishers and harvesters to include tourism operators and pragmatic activists.