The limits of devolving sustainable development to the local level: The case of the Greenbelt of Fennoscandia initiative
This article investigates how the framing of nature conservation in terms of sustainable development both enables and constrains participation at the grassroots level. The Green Belt of Fennoscandia, an initiative to develop a transnational ecological network between Finland, Russia and Norway, is u...
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ftunivgeneve:oai:unige.ch:aou:unige:167491 2023-10-01T03:55:54+02:00 The limits of devolving sustainable development to the local level: The case of the Greenbelt of Fennoscandia initiative Florin, Ian 2023 https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:167491 eng eng info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1111/soru.12426 https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:167491 unige:167491 info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess ISSN: 0038-0199 Sociologia ruralis, (2023) info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/910 info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/333.7-333.9 Ecological network Finland Norway Scale Sustainability info:eu-repo/semantics/article Text Article scientifique info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion 2023 ftunivgeneve https://doi.org/10.1111/soru.12426 2023-09-07T08:15:49Z This article investigates how the framing of nature conservation in terms of sustainable development both enables and constrains participation at the grassroots level. The Green Belt of Fennoscandia, an initiative to develop a transnational ecological network between Finland, Russia and Norway, is used as a case study. A desk study and 40 interviews with participants of two regional working groups from this initiative show how the mobilisation of the concept of sustainability encourages actors in rural areas to become leaders of projects in favour of both nature conservation and economic development. This research also describes how the lack of state engagement and potential conflicts between regional and national levels can discourage these actors to commit to the initiative. This research refines previous work on the reduction of the role of the state in conservation, illustrating the scalar dynamics of sustainable development implementation in a European rural context. It provides material to inform the governance of large-scale conservation projects, by highlighting how an approach that aims to boost local participation can in fact discourage it, if the reduction of the role of the state is not accompanied by resources, formal rights to democratic representation or/and an acknowledgement of past work. Article in Journal/Newspaper Fennoscandia Université de Genève: Archive ouverte UNIGE Norway Sociologia Ruralis 63 3 611 628 |
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Université de Genève: Archive ouverte UNIGE |
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English |
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info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/910 info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/333.7-333.9 Ecological network Finland Norway Scale Sustainability |
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info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/910 info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/333.7-333.9 Ecological network Finland Norway Scale Sustainability Florin, Ian The limits of devolving sustainable development to the local level: The case of the Greenbelt of Fennoscandia initiative |
topic_facet |
info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/910 info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/333.7-333.9 Ecological network Finland Norway Scale Sustainability |
description |
This article investigates how the framing of nature conservation in terms of sustainable development both enables and constrains participation at the grassroots level. The Green Belt of Fennoscandia, an initiative to develop a transnational ecological network between Finland, Russia and Norway, is used as a case study. A desk study and 40 interviews with participants of two regional working groups from this initiative show how the mobilisation of the concept of sustainability encourages actors in rural areas to become leaders of projects in favour of both nature conservation and economic development. This research also describes how the lack of state engagement and potential conflicts between regional and national levels can discourage these actors to commit to the initiative. This research refines previous work on the reduction of the role of the state in conservation, illustrating the scalar dynamics of sustainable development implementation in a European rural context. It provides material to inform the governance of large-scale conservation projects, by highlighting how an approach that aims to boost local participation can in fact discourage it, if the reduction of the role of the state is not accompanied by resources, formal rights to democratic representation or/and an acknowledgement of past work. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Florin, Ian |
author_facet |
Florin, Ian |
author_sort |
Florin, Ian |
title |
The limits of devolving sustainable development to the local level: The case of the Greenbelt of Fennoscandia initiative |
title_short |
The limits of devolving sustainable development to the local level: The case of the Greenbelt of Fennoscandia initiative |
title_full |
The limits of devolving sustainable development to the local level: The case of the Greenbelt of Fennoscandia initiative |
title_fullStr |
The limits of devolving sustainable development to the local level: The case of the Greenbelt of Fennoscandia initiative |
title_full_unstemmed |
The limits of devolving sustainable development to the local level: The case of the Greenbelt of Fennoscandia initiative |
title_sort |
limits of devolving sustainable development to the local level: the case of the greenbelt of fennoscandia initiative |
publishDate |
2023 |
url |
https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:167491 |
geographic |
Norway |
geographic_facet |
Norway |
genre |
Fennoscandia |
genre_facet |
Fennoscandia |
op_source |
ISSN: 0038-0199 Sociologia ruralis, (2023) |
op_relation |
info:eu-repo/semantics/altIdentifier/doi/10.1111/soru.12426 https://archive-ouverte.unige.ch/unige:167491 unige:167491 |
op_rights |
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1111/soru.12426 |
container_title |
Sociologia Ruralis |
container_volume |
63 |
container_issue |
3 |
container_start_page |
611 |
op_container_end_page |
628 |
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1778524748446171136 |