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Fragmented Landscapes and Planscapes—The Double Pressure of Increasing Natural Resource Exploitation on Indigenous Sámi Lands in Northern Sweden
Stockholm University, Faculty of Science, Department of Physical Geography.ORCID iD: 0000-0002-3623-6125
2020 (English)In: Resources, E-ISSN 2079-9276, Vol. 9, no 9, article id 104Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

Human induced land-use change through natural resource extraction has significant ecological, social and cultural effects for indigenous communities. Indigenous rights, cultural practices and identities are strongly interconnected with traditional lands. In northern Sweden, the cumulative effects from natural resource extraction have become increasingly problematic for Sámi reindeer herding. Land use planning and permit processes are organized based on single projects or policy sectors, instead of the needs and rights involving reindeer herding. Existing research has demonstrated loss of ground and arboreal lichen, fragmentation of pastures and reindeer avoidance of otherwise valuable pastures due to disturbance caused by competing land uses. There is however a lack of synthesis of the amount and scale of encroachments on traditional Sámi territories in Sweden so far. Likewise, while research has looked at weaknesses of the sectoral regulations in terms of cumulative impact assessment and the inadequate recognition of Sámi reindeer herding rights, no studies have analyzed the meta-pressure caused by the fragmented planning regime as a whole, as the amount of regulations regarding different land use sectors and permitting processes increases with each new type of competing activity. Through the concept of double pressure caused by the inter-related processes of fragmented landscapes and fragmented ‘planscapes’, this study seeks to capture the actual pressure the affected communities are currently experiencing. Using multiple quantitative and qualitative data sets consisting of Geographical Information Systems, policy documents, workshops discussions and interviews, we study how natural resource extraction like mining and wind energy has increased on traditional indigenous Sámi lands in northern Sweden. By expanding the analytical focus from today’s landscapes to both planscapes and the pressure from not-yet realized future projects, our results highlight the need for a holistic understanding of the situation reindeer herding is facing, calling for more relevant and legitimate land use permitting and planning mechanisms to reduce the industrial pressure on the landscape, and to address the social injustices caused by today’s planscape.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2020. Vol. 9, no 9, article id 104
Keywords [en]
cumulative effects, land use planning, impact assessments, indigenous rights, mining, wind energy, reindeer herding, natural resource extraction
National Category
Physical Geography
Research subject
Physical Geography
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:su:diva-184869DOI: 10.3390/resources9090104ISI: 000578177200001OAI: oai:DiVA.org:su-184869DiVA, id: diva2:1465496
Funder
Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, NV-03501-15Swedish Research Council Formas, 2012-00135Swedish Research Council Formas, 2018-00850Available from: 2020-09-09 Created: 2020-09-09 Last updated: 2022-02-25Bibliographically approved
In thesis
1. Nature conservation, landscape change and indigenous rights: The role of Sámi reindeer herding for environmental objectives in the Swedish mountain landscape
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Nature conservation, landscape change and indigenous rights: The role of Sámi reindeer herding for environmental objectives in the Swedish mountain landscape
2020 (English)Doctoral thesis, comprehensive summary (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

The 14th Swedish national environmental objective, ‘a Magnificent Mountain Landscape’, requires a mountain landscape characterized by reindeer grazing. The Swedish mountains landscape, part of the Scandes, has been shaped by traditional indigenous Sámi reindeer herding and its grazed environments are dependent on reindeer. In spite of this, the mountain region is often referred to as the last wilderness in Europe. Twenty years since its adoption the aims of this environmental objective for the Swedish mountains is still not achieved. Sweden is internationally often seen as a frontrunner for environmental ambitions, but formal indigenous rights remain relatively weak. In the case of the Magnificent Mountain Landscape objective, the environmental ambitions are dependent on the continuation of a traditional indigenous livelihood and land use based on reindeer herding. While the mountain objective explicitly focus on the mountain area the attainment of the objective is dependent on developments in the whole reindeer grazing area that encompasses vast areas outside the Scandes. Reindeer herding is, however, under increasing pressure from multiple anthropogenic pressures like climate change and encroachments from various types of natural resource extraction on traditional grazing grounds. Land use planning that ensure the continuation of a viable reindeer herding in the whole reindeer herding landscape, not only the mountain areas proper, is therefore essential if the Magnificent Mountains Landscape objective is to be achieved. The thesis is guided by three main research questions: 1/ how have multiple pressures developed in the reindeer herding area in northern Sweden, 2/ how has Sámi participation in land use planning unfolded in northern Sweden, and 3/ what possibilities/conditions are there in place to maintain/sustain the environmental state in the Swedish mountain region given current multiple pressures and planning processes? Based on a transdisciplinary systems approach as well as on quantitative and qualitative methods the results show that stressing weather events have increased in the reindeer herding area, alongside with rapid and significant increase in industrial land use for natural resource extraction. The actual process of rapidly increasing, as well as cumulative, industrial land use also reduce the ability for Sámi reindeer herding communities to influece land use planning. Meanwhile the cumulative effects assesssments for proposed industrial projects poorly describe cumulative effects on reindeer herding. Protected areas in the mountain region that should be requesting the ecosystem services of reindeer grazing also unsufficiently do so because of a too dominant view of its nature as a wilderness, with the implication that reindeer herding is less valued in nature conservation management. If the ambitious environmental objectives for the Swedish mountain range are to be reached it also means that the continuation of traditional Sámi reindeer herding needs to be safeguarded in the whole reindeer herding area, also outside the mountains.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Stockholm: Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, 2020. p. 50
Series
Dissertations in Physical Geography, ISSN 2003-2358 ; 10
Keywords
Land use planning, Cumulative Effects, Reindeer herding, Natural resource extraction, Environmental Management
National Category
Physical Geography
Research subject
Physical Geography
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:su:diva-184776 (URN)978-91-7797-805-3 (ISBN)978-91-7797-806-0 (ISBN)
Public defence
2020-10-23, De Geersalen, Geovetenskapens hus, Svante Arrhenius väg 14 and digitally via Zoom: https://stockholmuniversity.zoom.us/j/65793078875, Stockholm, 13:00 (English)
Opponent
Supervisors
Available from: 2020-09-30 Created: 2020-09-09 Last updated: 2022-02-25Bibliographically approved

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Österlin, Carl

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