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Contribution short abstract:

The study explores the processes of decolonization and transformation of nature in the post-Soviet space. The study highlights the commonalities and differences between Estonia, Karelia, and Kazakhstan and demonstrates examples of decolonization of nature from above and below.

Contribution long abstract:

Drawing on three case studies from Europe and Asia, this research examines the decolonization of nature and the role of natural landscapes in the construction of new states in post-Soviet countries. The first example demonstrates how the agenda of the Estonian national movement overlapped with the goals of the green movement and how the Estonian national parks became a tool of integration into Europe. The case study of the Republic of Karelia reveals how the highest mountain in the region became a stumbling block between residents and the center and even a symbol of the green movement. The third example comes from Kazakhstan and demonstrates decolonization from above: the attempts of the local authorities to rethink and reuse the main symbols of the country – the steppe and mountains as well as the attitude of locals to these ideas.

The three case studies comprise three interrelated blocks or sub-topics. The first sub-topic is decolonization (both above and below) – in the present case, the rejection of the Soviet legacy, the transition from the Soviet system of nature conservation to new forms, and the adoption of a European experience. The second sub-topic is symbolism, or the building of national or local history and identity around natural attractions, that is, the creation of national landscapes. The third sub-topic is the consumption or commodification of landscapes, national parks, and reserves by visitors, local authorities, and residents, and the role of tourism in the development of national spaces.