Water as a strategic resource for Chile: the example of the Southern Ice Field.

Abstract

Water is a critical natural resource for the human development. Currently, it has become a limited good that, for those who control it, generates wealth and advances in the socioeconomic aspect. However, by awakening interests linked to control it can also lead to incidents and controversies. The purpose of this article is to highlight the challenge that Chile has generating the security conditions that allow the country to protect this strategic resource. This, based on an analysis of the relevance that has one of the largest freshwater reserves in the world: Campo de Hielo Sur.