Fieldwork report: Revealing production and circulation of scientific arguments around the nexus between water scarcity and eucalyptus forest plantations in Chile

The nexus between eucalyptus forest plantations and water scarcity at times has controversial environmental explanations between scientific researchers around the world. Such is the case of Chile, where scientific researchers produce and circulated, diverse and sometimes split scientific arguments around this nexus. Forest hydrology, the scientific study of how water flows through forests, can help illuminate the connections between forests plantations and water scarcity.  Nevertheless, is important to consider, that forest hydrology studies are produced and circulated at the initiative of individual researchers, in collaboration with the forest industry, state services or conservation organizations, that have different interests behind them. All those collaborations could bring challenges to the process of production and circulation of forest hydrology science in Chile; especially, when “scientific arguments” becomes a “truth” for applying forest-hydrology measures in forest policies and later in forest plantations.  Inspired by those issues, the main research question is: how have environmental scientists investigated and circulated ideas between water scarcity and eucalyptus forest plantations in Chile? This informal talk will present the preliminary findings of this first fieldwork in Chile, what include interviews with the most important forest-hydrology professors of Universities, and forest-hydrology experts of Chilean state services and forestry companies research centres of the country.

Le «Bouillon d'idées» est un séminaire proposé par le groupe de recherche «Développement, Sociétés, Environnements», dans lequel les chercheuses et les chercheurs sont invité·e·s à présenter une recherche en cours.

L'entrée est libre. N'hésitez pas à amener votre repas.