Abstract

The aim of the study described here was to gain a better understanding of the cause of problems in southern Chile by critically analyzing the governance of the coastal areas of the island and the sea of Chilo´e. Chilo´e is the main island of the homonymous archipelago located in southern Chilean Patagonia. A strategic diagnosis was carried out by studying the ten subdivisions of the political-administrative system that compose the Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) Decalogue. The results demonstrate that conflicts in Chilo´e follow a strongly centralized state model, which tends to prioritize economic development over the socio-ecological and cultural complexity of the coast and disregarding climate change effects and the relationship between ecosystem services and human well-being. In the last five years, some advances have been made in the constitutional process and decentralization objectives, suggesting an improvement in Chiloe’s coastal management.