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Paper short abstract:

Rural entrepreneurs utilize the natural, cultural and historical elements of the area in their business activities. What is the role of nature-based entrepreneurs in maintaining and transmitting the traditions and values associated with locality, living heritage and human-nature relationship?

Paper long abstract:

Rural entrepreneurs utilize the natural, cultural and historical elements of the area in their business activities. They also may have an important role in local cultural heritage processes. This paper focuses especially on the activities of nature-based entrepreneurs from the point of view of future-sustainable environment. The aim of the paper is to emphasize the role of nature-based entrepreneurs in maintaining and transmitting the traditions and values associated with locality, living heritage and human-nature relationship.

I examine the phenomenon in the light of few nature-based entrepreneurs in Merikarvia (a small rural municipality on the west coast of Finland). The research data bases mainly on in-depth interviews with the entrepreneurs.

All the entrepreneurs interviewed run small businesses, and the small-scale character of the entrepreneurs is a factor that can as such contribute to the sustainable development. First, I will pay attention to the driving factors for starting as a nature-based entrepreneur and to the entrepreneurs’ values and attitudes associated with nature and sustainable development. Secondly, I will examine how the features of the nature (e.g. river, rapids, springs, maritime environment, forests, rocks, fields or animals) and the local stories associated to these features are utilized in practice. Furthermore, I will shortly examine how the climate change has effected the entrepreneurs’ agency especially during winter seasons and what kinds of new acting in nature have emerged in recent years.

The paper is related to my post doctoral research that examines cultural heritage entrepreneurship in promoting vitality, sustainable development and local identity.