This open access book applies a social ecological systems (SES) lens to conservation-based development in Patagonia, bringing together authors with historical, contemporary, and future-oriented perspectives in order to increase understanding of the social and environmental implications of nature-based tourism and other forms of conservation-based territorial development. By focusing on Patagonia (as a region) and its various forms of conservation-based development, this book contributes one of the first collections of South American based lessons and will be valuable to researchers and practitioners, both locally and around the world, seeking to better understand complex interconnections between social and ecological environments, and pursue a similar path to resilience and sustainability.
Dr. Trace Gale-Detrich is a researcher in the Centro de Investigación en Ecosistemas de la Patagonia (CIEP), where she has worked since 2009 and is currently serving as the coordinator for both the Sustainable Tourism Research Line and the Human-Environmental Interactions group (HEI). As well, she is an associate investigator with the Cape Horn International Center (CHIC in Puerto Williams, Chile. Her research interests focus on human/human and human/non-human interactions within the ecosystems of Patagonia, with most of her work addressing the intersection of conservation and development. Her areas of focus include human values, perceptions, affect, and experiences, with the goal of understanding how these human dynamics converge with regards to environmental stewardship, transdisciplinary governance, human development/wellbeing, and the integration of protected areas with their bordering lands and communities; especially in contexts of territorial transition,involving social and climate change.
Dr. Andrea Ednie is currently Interim Associate Dean of the College of Education and Professional Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where she has worked as a faculty member since 2014. Her research examines protected area planning and stakeholder values, the role of soundscapes within Healthy Parks Healthy People processes, and wellness benefits associated with connections to nature and protected area experiences within Chilean Patagonia and protected areas within the midwestern U.S. She also studies motivations, sense of place, experiences and behavior choices within the contexts of outdoor recreation management and outdoor exercise. Dr. Ednie is currently Young Scholars Coordinator the Western Society for Kinesiology & Wellness (WSKW).
Dr. Keith Bosak currently serves as a Professor in the Department of Society and Conservation at the University of Montana, USA. Bosak's research interests are broadly centered on the intersection of conservation and development, and as such, he often studies nature-based tourism and sustainable tourism in the context of development and protected areas. He has conducted research on ecotourism and environmental justice in India, scientific tourism in Chile, and Geotourism in Montana. Aside from tourism, Dr. Bosak has conducted research on climate change impacts and adaptations among tribal populations in the Himalaya, private protected areas in Chile, and conservation and development initiatives in Montana. Dr. Bosak also conducts workshops on protected area planning and management around the world.
