Original article: Publicación internacional académica expone las tensiones generadas por salmoneras y Estado contra Espacios Costeros Marinos de Pueblos Originarios University of Chile Research Reveals Indigenous Marine Governance Law is Merely a «Symbolic Recognition» Without Effective Power Published in Policy Studies, the study led by Verónica Figueroa Huencho, a faculty member at the University of Chile’s Government School, examines the implementation of Indigenous Coastal Marine Spaces (ECMPO) and warns that legal recognition has not translated into effective governance, co-management, and power for communities. A recent study led by Verónica Figueroa Huencho, an academic from the University of Chile’s Faculty of Government, published in the international journal (Q1 in Web of Science), warns that the implementation of Indigenous Coastal Marine Spaces (ECMPO) has not resulted in genuine governance for the communities. According to UChile, the research analyzes the institutional tensions that hinder co-management, despite the law’s origin being supported by broad participation and indigenous involvement.
Academic Verónica Figueroa Huencho emphasizes the gap between legal frameworks and territorial realities. «The right is symbolically recognized, but material, institutional, and political conditions are not created to administer these spaces,» explains the researcher based on findings from her article titled «Challenges for Implementing Indigenous Public Policies: The Case of Indigenous Coastal Marine Spaces in Chile. » She adds that the state continues to operate in a centralized manner, limiting effective co-management.
The study, which gathered testimonies from 28 leaders of 16 ECMPO through three focus groups, reveals stark asymmetries compared to other coastal actors. «The results highlight how implementation processes expose persistent disparities between indigenous communities and other stakeholders,» states the article. Among these stakeholders, the academic mentions the ongoing pressure from salmon farming companies, creating what she terms a «blame without effective power.
» In response to this diagnosis, the research proposes an innovative analytical framework that views implementation not as a linear technical process, but as a dynamic phenomenon where asymmetries of power, values, and competing interests interact. Figueroa Huencho concludes that without a genuine recognition of these asymmetries, territorial justice will remain an unfinished task for the Chilean state, especially given that the country has ratified international treaties that protect indigenous peoples. To thoroughly understand the tensions hindering indigenous marine governance and gain access to the full analysis by the academic from the University of Chile’s Faculty of Government, readers are invited to review the original publication from UChile and the article in Policy Studies linked below.
Challenges for Implementing Indigenous Public Policies: The Case of Indigenous Coastal Marine Spaces in Chile.