Natural and Social Sciences of Patagonia

Despite being an underpopulated region, Patagonia has attracted the attention of scientists since the very beginning of its settlement. From classical explorers such as Darwin or D´Orbigny, to modern science including nuclear and satellite developments, several disciplines have focused their efforts on unraveling Patagonia’s natural and social history. Today, scientific and technological research is shifting from being shaped by northern agendas, towards more locally oriented objectives, such as the management of natural resources, the modernization of energy production and distribution, and the coexistence of rural and cosmopolitan social lifestyles. At the intersection of all these topics, new conflicts concerning the economy, human development, population, and the proper and long-standing planification and management of the landscape and its natural resources have emerged. These conflicts, of course, have also caught the attention of many interdisciplinary research groups.