Abstract
Contemporary marine spatial planning seeks to mitigate spatial conflicts by creating boundaries between use zones allocated to different stakeholder groups. However, this approach elides distinct power imbalances among these groups and fails to take into account how these boundaries become meaningless in landscapes defined by the constant movement of wind and water. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork conducted along the coast of Chilean Patagonia, I argue that the maps produced through participatory mapping interviews are therefore often less important than the process of producing them, particularly when unexpected events necessitate a change in research design. Furthermore, participatory mapping interviews also help researchers to build relationships with project participants and to ask the right questions.