Endemic renewal by an altered boreal river: community emplacement

ABSTRACT

Whilst modernity and associated natural resources extraction has altered, often permanently, natural systems, we explore a river valley that has been radically altered during industrialization. We investigate how community emplacement functions. It is an emerging spatial understanding of severed, preserved and reconnected belongings to a place (in this case, a river system. This case study concentrates on the Kokemäenjoki River in Finland. We argue that the lifework of our co-researcher, fisherman Kalevi Veko, provides evidence of the persistence of traditional knowledge and livelihoods.

Hydropower is a central element of displacement and represents spatial nodes of modernity. Weather change was observed by Veko early on. Yet hydropower was seen as a solution to produce climate-friendly energy in the river system, ignoring traditional knowledge.

Continued fish harvests are investigated to demonstrate a range of qualities and adaptations to the alterations. Secondly we explore Veko's role in the restoration of asp population to the altered river. This constitutes an endemic act of emplacement. This rests on tensions between preserved fisheries and the impact of hydropower development. Traditional skills do not necessarily disappear during industrial modernization. Instead, in certain encouraging conditions, they can re-emerge and pave routes to endemic futures.

KEYWORDS:

• River valley
• industrialization
• post-displacement
• emplacement
• River rebirth

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 We concentrate in this article on the life-work of Kalevi Veko but, in such a profession as a traditional fishery, activities of one individual cannot be separated from the operations of the broader community. Veko’s community consisted and consists of (1) the extended family in several generations, (2) the elderly relatives and neighbours, including eight professional fishermen, that passed the fishing knowledge to Veko during his youth years. (3) In addition, most importantly, Kalevi Veko’s wife, Eila, and their seven children gradually, since the 1950s, took the core place in the fishery community. (4) Moreover, Veijo Hukkinen, Veko’s close friend and the link to fish markets, had an important role in the community dynamics: the catch was for decades processed and sold to consumers by Hukkinen. (5) Furthermore, cooperation with the long-time partners in fishery administration and research, especially in matters of stocking, were part of the fishery community. (6) Finally, of course, the whole ecosystem, especially its fish species, produced the material ground of the endemic fishing community (see Mustonen, 2018).

2 The first author of the article has carried out the fieldwork by the River Kokemäenjoki that has lasted already 16 years. Field locations have included the headwaters in Karvia and Parkano, Tampere region, Pälkäne and Sahalahti, the Rautavesi area and the delta in the Pori region. The research has focused on co-fisheries as a participant, oral history work, ecological mapping and surveys, literature and archival work and community-based monitoring using cultural indicators of aquatic ecosystems.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Tero Mustonen

Tero Mustonen is an Adjunct Professor working for the Snowchange Cooperative, Finland. He is a Lead Author for the IPCC AR6.

Ari Aukusti Lehtinen

Ari Aukusti Lehtinen is a Professor of Geography at the University of Eastern Finland. He has specialised in forest politics and community planning issues, mostly in northern European settings. His study approach is inspired by environmental justice concerns and practices developed within environmental action research. Lehtinen is active in local planning discussions in Joensuu, the central city of the province of North Karelia.