Women gatherers of nalca (Gunnera tinctoria) as guardians of socioecosystems: Local history, extractivism and restoration in Chile

•The gathering of nalcas (Gunnera tinctoria) is a long-standing economic and identity practice in the province of Arauco, albeit invisible and subordinated to the extractivist transformation of the landscape.•In Arauco province, the forestry industry has left significant parts of this ecosystem (pajonales) within its margins, impacting its distribution.•Local gatherers have recently been called upon to participate in the development of "sustainable practices" in accordance with public policies and the forestry companies that control the territory.•Women are leading the restoration of the pajonales of nalca due to their territorialised sense of care for the socio-ecosystems. In the coastal areas of southern Chile, an interdependence exists between gatherers and the nalca ecosystem known as “pajonal” (swampy spaces), as it provides livelihoods for families and gatherers work to restore and maintain the pajonales. However, the forestry industry has left significant parts of these ecosystems within their margins, impacting their distribution. In this regard, little attention has been paid to the effects of nalca decline on the lives of gatherers and their community responses. Through a historical and ethnographic approach, this paper aims to examine the trajectory followed by women gatherers of the "Agrupación Nalqueros de Pehuén'' in Lebu (Arauco Province, Chile), who have dedicated themselves to the care of socio-ecosystems amidst the globalisation of forest industry and certification process. The results revealed a historical trajectory of nalca gathering marked by interscalar processes that led to governance practices in the interstices of an imposed monocultural geography. In response, the group has resisted and made efforts to achieve the restoration of pajonales amidst forest extractivism. Caring for the nalcas involves territorialising the pajonal and redefining it in accordance with ethical and ecological principles adopted over time for the well-being of their community and the commons they care for.