How do local conflicts relate to place, identity and power relations?

The recovery of the Scandinavian wolf population continuous to be contested. Although the population is steadily increasing and policy actions are taken to minimize social conflicts, current management continuous to be... [ view full abstract ]

The recovery of the Scandinavian wolf population continuous to be contested. Although the population is steadily increasing and policy actions are taken to minimize social conflicts, current management continuous to be characterized by multiple competing interests and values, polarization among actors, political and social distrust, as well as ideological attributes and factions. Using the controversial case of wolf presence as an example it will be d iscussed how collectively shared and transmitted memories of past generations (e.g., stories of how wolves could cause starvation, by attacking and killing a crofter’s only cow) as well as social and cultural constructions of the landscape, place, and identity linger beside the implementation of political strategies for the enhancement of biodiversity, for example, protective measures and a legislative framework for preserving the wolf. Through the results of participant observations and semi-structured interviews undertaken in situ or over the phone (with people living in wolf areas, administrators, managers, politicians, stakeholder representatives), survey data, and document analysis, it will be highlighted how environmental controversies must be approached as continuously reflecting immanent social, cultural, and political norms and values.