The economic and social context of monoculture tree plantations in chile: the case of the commune of lumaco, araucania region World Rainforest Movement - December 2005 By means of testimonials, documents and figures, the present report sets out the problems faced by that commune of 11,405 inhabitants, where monoculture tree plantations have expanded violently, imposed by a forestry development model instituted during the military dictatorship and still currently in force. August 2005 - Also available in Spanish

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CONTENTS
Introduction
General methodological background
Actors taking part in the research

I. Lumaco: Luma water
Geographical, political-administrative and political-cultural background
Soil-climatic and bio-ecological characteristics
Social and demographic background
Present land use and ownership and productive economic systems

II. Forestry invasion
Past history of Araucania and its economic and environmental transformation
The process of monoculture tree plantation expansion
Decree Law 701 and subsidies to the expansion of tree plantations
The expansion of monoculture tree plantations and its macroeconomic results

III. Environmental effects and conflicts in the expansion of monoculture tree plantations
Local economic and social impacts
The communities’ point of view
The environmental conflict
Social conflict and the role of Mapuche organizations
State response

IV. The expansion of monoculture tree plantations and human communities
Labour: Working conditions and mechanisms for the expansion of the monoculture tree plantation model
Education: The incorporation of ‘good neighbourhood’ plans and their impact at a local level
Fostering of production: public and private programmes

V. Final comments
Ecological, economic and cultural adaptation of the population to the monoculture tree plantation model

Conclusions