GZERO Reports

In Argentina’s Patagonia region, Indigenous Mapuche communities are clashing with President Javier Milei’s government over rights to their ancestral lands. Facing a deep financial crisis, Milei sees Argentina’s vast natural resources—minerals, oil, timber—as central to economic recovery. But the Mapuche, among the country’s strongest voices fighting for environmental protection, are being evicted from land they’ve lived on for over 14,000 years. On GZERO Reports, Will Fitzpatrick travels to Patagonia to interview Mapuche community members about the legal fight they say threatens Argentina’s unique biodiversity and indigenous culture, as well as their survival.

Land disputes between the Mapuche and the Argentinian state have existed for decades, but after the Milei government revoked a key law that protected Indigenous territories at the end of 2024, officials began an aggressive eviction campaign. Recent raids and accusations of arson have escalated tensions, and many Mapuche fear state power is now being wielded to push them off resource rich territory.