Understanding Human-Nature Practices for Environmental Management
– Examples from Northern Europe
Ed. by E. C. H. Keskitalo. (2025). London, Routledge.
NEWS How should we comprehend and manage nature in an era characterised by climate change, global policies, and increasing exploitation? A new book edited by Carina Keskitalo, a professor at the Department of Geography, suggests that part of the answer lies in people’s daily relationships with the landscape—through local practices, customs, and historical experiences.
Understanding Human–Nature Practices for Environmental Management, recently published by Routledge and accessible through open access, brings together researchers from across the Nordic region. It illustrates how our perceptions of nature and environmental governance have evolved over time—historically, politically, and practically. By challenging the notion of nature as untouched, the book emphasises the human being as an active and essential part of the landscape. It centres not on a dichotomy between humans and nature, but on their interplay—and how understanding this interplay is crucial to facilitating sustainable management.
“We want to show that environmental management is not just about technology and regulations, but about how people live their lives in relation to nature. Understanding these practices is crucial for developing sustainable solutions,” says Carina Keskitalo.
Perhaps the book’s most significant contribution lies in dismantling the simplistic division between nature and culture—an enduring dichotomy that continues to shape both research and policy. Instead, the authors contend that human activities—from traditional livelihoods such as reindeer herding and hunting to modern practices like tourism and land use—are deeply embedded in ecosystems and should be examined accordingly.
We want to show that environmental management is not just about technology and regulations, but about how people live their lives in relation to nature.
The chapters cover a wide range of themes, showcasing how the relationship between humans and nature is affected by legislation, culture, and environmental policy. Examples include analyses of the legal evolution of Norway’s right to public access and its implications for citizens’ access to nature, as well as studies examining Finnish perceptions of forests and how these reflect historical and economic interests. Several chapters also investigate how legal systems and political frameworks not only regulate the utilisation of nature but also influence our fundamental understanding of what nature is—and what it should be.
Some of the texts also address contemporary climate strategies such as rewilding, revealing how these efforts alter not only the ecological composition of landscapes but also people’s emotional relationships with—and practical use of—the environments in which they live and interact.
One chapter, authored by Dorothee Bohn, a postdoctoral researcher in the Department of Geography, explores how the notion of “untouched nature” is portrayed in tourism within Arctic environments. Through an analysis of resort marketing, she demonstrates how images of wilderness are crafted to align with tourists’ expectations—images that often stand in stark contrast to the way local communities live and utilise the same landscapes.
The chapter illustrates how tourism not only affects physical environments but also shapes our perception of what the Arctic is—and who gets to belong in the Arctic.
Our ambition has been to broaden the understanding of what sustainable management can entail, by allowing different perspectives to come together.
Although the book draws its concrete examples from the Nordic region, the themes it raises are highly relevant in a global context: Who gets to define the value of nature? How does history shape today’s policies? And what happens when external governance models collide with local experience?
“Our ambition has been to broaden the understanding of what sustainable management can entail, by allowing different perspectives to come together,” says Keskitalo.
The book provides a timely and insightful framework for policymakers, authorities, and environmental practitioners who seek to better understand the social dimensions of environmental governance—especially at a time when climate action, green transition, and place-based knowledge are increasingly in tension.
Understanding Human-Nature Practices for Environmental Management
– Examples from Northern Europe
Ed. by E. C. H. Keskitalo. (2025). London, Routledge.
