Research secondment at the Universidad Nacional de San Martín in Buenos Aires, Argentina
Our research team member, Victoria Peemot (University of Helsinki), completed her EDGES secondment at the Universidad Nacional de San Martín in Buenos Aires, Argentina (23 February–27 March 2026), combined with fieldwork in San Carlos de Bariloche, Río Negro Province.
During this research visit, Victoria focused on two interconnected themes: tourism in Indigenous territories and community-based nature conservation – core areas in her ongoing work with the Tukha (Dukha) reindeer herders in northern Mongolia. Her research explored key questions concerning the impacts of tourism on Indigenous well-being, local participation in tourism economies and Indigenous engagement in environmental stewardship within ancestral lands.
Fieldwork in Bariloche was conducted using ethnographic methods, including participant observation, field notes and visual documentation. Staying in a mountain village outside the city, Victoria observed the dynamics of a region experiencing high tourist activity, particularly during the March peak season.
Her observations highlighted both opportunities and challenges. On the one hand, local involvement in tourism-related businesses is significant; on the other, issues such as unsustainable construction practices (including building too close to water sources and within protected areas) raise concerns. These challenges resonate with broader global patterns in tourism development.
This secondment contributes valuable comparative insights into Indigenous tourism and environmental governance, strengthening the international dimension of the MultiBEING CoE.
Learn more about EDGES
The secondment was completed within the framework of the HORIZON-MSCA Staff Exchanges network EDGES (Entangling Indigenous Knowledges in Universities). Learn more about EDGES here.
