Abstract

In this article we analyze some contemporary socio-territorial processes in the Aysén region, Chilean Patagonia, with special emphasis on the Exploradores Valley. We estimate that those processes can be interpreted as a form of rural and “green” gentrification. Under this category we want to account for a multiplicity of interdependent processes as the displacement of the local population linked to the increase in land value, an explosion in the real estate supply, new patterns of consumption and socio-territorial practices, as well as the emergence of discourses that would position this region as an enclave for conservation and preservation of nature under the slogan “Reserve of Life”. From this framework, the study aims to contribute with a critical reading of depoliticized conservation discourses, highlighting the socio-territorial impacts that these renewed processes of “eco-colonization” bring with them, characteristic of a new geography of capital. Methodologically, we propose a mixed platform based on in field observations, semi-structured interviews with key informants, bibliographic analysis and information gathering in the Real Estate Notary. © 2024, Universidad Nacional de Colombia. All rights reserved.