Mosaics of nature, meaning, and politics: Conservation of coastal heathlands in Western Norway

Summary

In this paper, we seek to understand the practices that shape nature into governable objects by exploring the different framings of coastal heathlands and the political technologies that inform their governance. Through investigating national policy objectives alongside related management practices – and drawing on a case study from western Norway – we explore how conflicting values and aims may emerge in the governance and stewardship of these landscapes. Coastal heathlands are designated as a selected habitat type in Norwegian policies and are, therefore, subject to special consideration in land use decisions. There appears to be a joint understanding locally, regionally, and nationally that these habitats are best conserved through the prevention of reforestation and the maintenance of openness via grazing and burning. However, there is less coherence regarding how heathlands are defined and which areas qualify as such. The scientific and administrative propensity to categorise nature masks the mosaic of habitats that make up the landscapes and the local meanings attached to them. This contrasts with local land users’ alternative makings of the landscape, rooted in traditional practices. Furthermore, we find that policies of nature conservation and agriculture offer competing incentives for stimulating or disciplining farming practices. This jeopardises the voluntary engagement by landowners and farmers, which is crucial to sustaining these landscapes and their diverse values. The political technologies used to define and make sense of nature form the coastal heathlands as an object of governance. We show, however, that the tools and the knowledge systems used by authorities to define and justify conservation needs may, paradoxically, hinder more integrated approaches to conservation.