Paper short abstract:

I focus to the mobilities and stabilities of the human relationships with the archipelago nature in the Archipelago National Park in Southwest Finland. I will present the characteristics Finnish National Parks and Archipelago Sea Biosphere Reserve gives to these relationships.

Paper long abstract:

Nature is the element which ties people most strongly to their own home area in the Southwest Finland archipelago. This is seen as local practices and habits in the relationship between man and the nature. In some context the simultaneous beautiful and violent nature is expressed as a symbol of identification to the area, as also the shores of islands forming borders, the freedom to work and define one's own way of life inside these borders, and the skills and knowledge learned on the islands, which are able to conquer the administrational and literal knowledge defined outside of the archipelago. Relationship to the nature and identification to archipelago are in constant motion. Moreover, a very prevalent element in these identities is the will of the archipelago people to define changes themselves. Nature is an acceptable and strong definer of actions and identities. However, impacts are given and received in many ways both from the local and the global interaction networks.

Usually the actions of different organisations, like National Park or Biosphere Reserve, are clearly expressed. This kind of organizations positions themselves partly consciously in opposition to the everyday life in the archipelago with the goal of bringing some impacts to it, like safeguarding of the natural and cultural heritage.

In my presentation I focus to the mobilites and stabilities of the human relationships with the archipelago nature in the archipelago in Southwest Finland. I will present the characteristics Archipelago National Park and Archipelago Sea Biosphere Reserve gives to these relationships.