Water, fire and ecological repair practices in Esteros del Iberá (Corrientes, Argentina)

Abstract (English)

The largest wetland in Argentina, Esteros del Iberá, can be analysed as a waterscape due to the centrality of water in the socio-environmental relations of the region. In this sense, water is positioned as an element of vital importance in environmental, cultural and economic valuation. However, in recent years, water scarcity has become a problem that causes environmental alterations, political tensions and social repercussions.
The most notable effects associated with drought, low rainfall and high temperatures have been the reduction of surface water, the drying up of vegetation and the proliferation of forest fires. The uncontrolled burning of grasslands, native forests, forest crops, livestock and wild animals has caused significant transformations in the aquatic landscape. The mobilisation of social and political resources has been primarily focused on addressing the situation in the short term. Nonetheless, there is an emerging medium- and long-term outlook advocating practices aimed at environmental restoration, including the deliberate management of fire, as well as the repurposing of fire residues into new components.
Based on ethnographic fieldwork carried out in Esteros del Iberá (Corrientes, Argentina), I present the socio-environmental practices related to fire in a waterscape where cattle ranching, forest cultivation, and tourism coexist with natural protected areas. In other words, the purpose of this paper is to consider the entanglements of combustion processes on Esteros del Iberá. Consequently, I am interested in proposing an anthropological view of the hydro-pyro-social articulations by exploring the transformations of waterscapes in the context of climate change.