Formation of Finland's National Parks as a Political Issue

Abstract

This paper analyses the political discourse of Finnish national parks from a perspective of values and justice. By examining the historical and contemporary political processes for establishing parks, we study the definitions of social justice and values attached to nature. An examination of conservation discourse illustrates how the meaning of national parks has changed. Parks are no longer perceived as threats to economic activity; on the contrary, at present parks are considered to benefit the tourism industry. We also argue that a precondition for a socially sustainable solution to political conflict is the definition of minimum rights accepted by all interest groups.

For if nature is nothing if it's not social, it's also unavoidably political. (Castree, 2001, p. 18)

Notes

Note

1 Thirteen national parks were designated in Finland between 1989 and 2003, and two old parks were expanded by establishing new parks in 2005. The total area of 35 national parks was 8,850 square kilometres at the beginning of 2008. All parks qualify for the United Nations List of National Parks and Other Protected Areas (see Metsähallitus—Forest and Park Service, 2000; Gilligan et al., 2005). The planned area of national parks has been almost completely realized in Finland; new parks are now mainly founded as a result of local initiatives.