Master thesis in Sustainable Development 328 Examensarbete i Hållbar utveckling Social negotiations behind biosphere reserve Nedre Dalälven River Landscape Jenny Jakobsson Kangas DEPARTMENT OF EARTH SCIENCES INSTITUTIONEN FÖR GEOVETENSKAPER Master thesis in Sustainable Development 328 Examensarbete i Hållbar utveckling Social negotiations behind biosphere reserve Nedre Dalälven River Landscape Jenny Jakobsson Kangas Supervisor: Kristina Börebäck Evaluator: Anneli Ekblom Copyright © Jenny Jakobsson Kangas and the Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University Published at Department of Earth Sciences, Uppsala University (www.geo.uu.se), Uppsala, 2017 Content 1. Introduction ....................................................................................................................................... 1 2. Theories .............................................................................................................................................. 3 2.1 Social practice ............................................................................................................................... 5 2.1.1 Sustainable development ........................................................................................................ 5 2.1.2 Social structures ..................................................................................................................... 6 2.2 Discursive practice ........................................................................................................................ 6 2.3 Text level ....................................................................................................................................... 8 3. Methodology and method ................................................................................................................. 9 3.1 Procedure ..................................................................................................................................... 10 3.1.1 Informants ............................................................................................................................ 12 3.1.2 Literature research ................................................................................................................ 12 3.1.3 Procedure of analysis ............................................................................................................ 12 3.2 Ethical reflection ......................................................................................................................... 13 3.3 Brief discussion ........................................................................................................................... 13 4. Result ................................................................................................................................................ 14 4.1 A local MAB discourse for sustainable development ................................................................. 17 4.1.1 Background .......................................................................................................................... 17 4.1.2 Capabilities of the local people ............................................................................................ 18 4.1.3 Providing a continuous local livelihood ............................................................................... 19 4.1.4 Definitions of the biosphere reserve Nedre Dalälven River Landscape ............................... 20 4.2 NeDa as an alliance ..................................................................................................................... 21 4.2.1 Formal social structures in biosphere discourse ................................................................... 21 4.2.2 Creating alliances ................................................................................................................. 27 4.2.3 Examples of public good of NeDa ....................................................................................... 32 4.3 Sustainable development ............................................................................................................. 32 4.3.1 Defined sub-discourses of sustainable development locally ................................................ 33 4.3.2 Sustainable development for NeDa ...................................................................................... 35 4.4 Challenges ................................................................................................................................... 37 4.4.1 House mosquitos .................................................................................................................. 37 4.4.2 Wolf hunting ......................................................................................................................... 39 5. Analytical summary ........................................................................................................................ 40 5.1 Social negotiations that shape the development of Biosphere reserve NDRL ............................ 40 5.2 A local MAB discourse constitutes social identities and confirm capabilities ............................ 41 5.2.1 Capabilities ........................................................................................................................... 41 5.2.2. Continued livelihoods of the area ........................................................................................ 42 5.3 NeDa- leaders of development in the area .................................................................................. 42 5.3.1 Discourse order and discursive changes ............................................................................... 43 5.3.2 Identity .................................................................................................................................. 44 5.3.3 Ideological effects of Discourse of NeDa............................................................................. 44 5.4 Discourse of sustainable development ........................................................................................ 45 5.4.1 Labor market- a sub-discourse in “continued livelihood” .................................................... 46 5.5 Local disturbances ....................................................................................................................... 47 5.5.1 House mosquitos .................................................................................................................. 47 5.5.2 Wolf hunting ......................................................................................................................... 48 6. Conclusion ........................................................................................................................................ 49 7. Acknowledgement ........................................................................................................................... 51 8. References ........................................................................................................................................ 52 Appendix A: Interview template, local biosphere coordinator .............................................................. 58 Appendix B: Interview template individual interviews ......................................................................... 58 Social negotiations behind biosphere reserve Nedre Dalälven River Landscape JENNY JAKOBSSON KANGAS Jakobsson Kangas, J., 2017. Social negotiations behind biosphere reserve Nedre Dalälven River Landscape. Master Thesis in Sustainable Development at Uppsala University, No. 328, 58pp, 30ECTS/hp. Abstract: An academic contribution for the urgent work of sustainable development is to detect and analyze important factors of successful work for sustainability. This study explores the factors of social processes behind Sweden´s largest biosphere reserve, a model area for sustainable development, Nedre Dalälven River Landscape. The aim is to study underlying incentives in the establishment of a biosphere reserve to detect critical social factors in the initial work for sustainable development. Critical discourse analysis will serve as a theoretical point of departure but also as an analytical method since it connects external circumstances with individual perspectives. The data was collected through individual interviews, a group interview, participatory observations and document readings. Social negotiations in this study refer to individual needs, people´s relations as well as needs that concern organizational business relations. Information is collected as a combination of written sources, such as official documents and local papers articles, semi-structured interviews of individuals and a group interview. The result showed that the driving force behind becoming a biosphere, the local association NeDa, was important for the fellowship. NeDa was understood as public good and as working for the best of the community. The biosphere reserve was perceived as a confirmation of the capabilities of local people. The meaning of sustainable development was filled with local matters which enabled a biosphere reserve well established in the area. In conclusion, underlying social negotiations are critical for sustainable development locally. Keywords: Sustainable development, biosphere reserve, Nedre Dalälven River Landscape, critical discourse analysis, formal social structures, informal social structures Jenny Jakobsson Kangas,