Regional environmental governance of protected natural territories in the European North: Russia, Finland, and Norway, and the case of Pasvik-Inari Trilateral Park

Abstract

This article explores how international organizations (IOs), national governments, and regional actors interact in the field of nature conservation in the European Arctic, focusing on Russia. I also reveal the unequal role of Indigenous communities, which are stakeholders in protected nature territories in the Arctic but receive limited attention in research.I present the case of the Pasvik-Inari Trilateral Park, which in 2008 received Europarc Certification as a result of long-term international cooperation dating back to the 1990s. The park consists of five protected natural areas: three in Norway, one in Russia and one in Finland. The areas have different organizational forms and restrictions on human activities, and the efforts of IOs such as the Europarc Federation to increase cooperation and coordination among them in conservation projects, research initiatives, and international travel for tourists, have had only partial success.I apply insights from regional analysis to discuss how governance at international, national, and local levels shape the practices and ideas of nature conservation in the different parts of Pasvik-Inari. The article also addresses the role of Indigenous environmental knowledge and nature use in protected natural territories in the Arctic. The paper contributes to the special issue on regional environmental governance by expanding the regional focus toward Russia and by stressing the significant relations between Indigenous communities and nature that should be taken into consideration in Arctic environmental governance.