Climate change from the social capital of Mapuche indigenous women

Abstract

In the Region of Araucanía, Chile, indigenous Mapuche women have been seriously affected by extreme events of climate change. The objective of the study is to explore resilience factors and alternatives that emerge from their empowerment processes to respond to the effects of climate change, considering their role as producers and reproducers of their traditional culture. The results indicate that Mapuche women articulate strategies that allow them to survive in the best possible way to phenomena such as drought or forest fires with the consequent search for mitigation alternatives such as transforming their traditional economic activities into operational mechanisms of adaptation to climate change. These processes reveal relevant potentials for resilience, which should be considered by institutional actions to reduce risks, such as investments in critical infrastructure.