Efficacy of consultation procedure as conflict management tool in northern Sweden

Resource System
Northern European forest ecosystem and associated watershed
Resource Units
Forest products, reindeer
Location
Sweden, Europe

This forest resource is located in northern Sweden and is used by two different user groups. The case study involves a snapshot in time and catalogues an action situation involving the native Sámi and their reindeer herding communities, and private logging compaines. The Swedish parliament mandated that consultation meetings be held between a logging company and the effected Sámi group before forest logging commence, in an attempt to mitigate conflict. The institutional analysis document focuses on the commons dilemma, while the original case document focuses on the effectiveness of these consultation meetings.  

The original case was part of a study to determine whether Ostrom's institutional design principles are, in fact, related to "governance success", and was conducted by Cox et al. 

Northern Sweden Forest System
Resource System

Forests used for both logging and reindeer husbandry

Resource Users

-Loggers composed of large  corporations, non-industrial private forest owners and the government

  • 61,000 people 

-The Sámi (native indigenous people)

  • 4,700 people organized into 51 reindeer herding communities
  • 230,000 reindeer total
Public Infrastructure Providers

- Swedish parliament

- Forest Stewardship Council 

Public Infrastructure

Hard Infrastructure

  • Roads built by the logging companies for easier access to forest stands

Soft Infrastructure

  • Legal ownership of forest land by logging companies 
  • Usufuructuary rights of Sámi to graze reindeer on private land
  • Consultation meetings 
Relationship 1

(RU => RS) 

  • Sámi graze reindeer in the forests 
  • Sámi herd reindeer through large sections of forest 
  • Loggers log stands of both young and old trees 
Relationship 2

(PIP => RU) 

  • Swedish parliament gives usufuructuary rights to Sámi to herd reindeer on private forest land in northern Sweden 
  • Forest Stewardship Council runs geographically specific forest certification systems. 
  • State agencies and the Forest Stewardship Council do not adequately supervise or sanction forest sector actions. 
Relationship 3

(PIP => PI) 

  • Swedish parliament requires logging companies hold consultation meetings with Sámi about upcoming logging plans.
Relationship 4

- Roads built by logging companies provide better access to forest resources. 

Relationship 5

(PI => 1)

  • Consultation meetings between the RU groups are used to for logging companies to inform Sámi reindeer herding communities about upcoming logging plans. Sámi have no power in these meetings and they are not held far enough in advance to Sámi to adjust their reindeer herding and husbandry plans. 
Relationship 6

(PI => RU) 

  • By law Sámi are the only group allowed to herd reindeer and practice reindeer husbandry. 
  • By law Sámi can herd reindeer on privately owned forest land. 
Exogenous Drivers 7 (Resource System)
(none specified)
Exogenous Drivers 7 (Public Infrastructure)
(none specified)
Exogenous Drivers 8 (Resource Users)
(none specified)
Exogenous Drivers 8 (Public Infrastructure Providers)
(none specified)
Human Infrastructure, Private and Human-Made (Resource Users)

- Logging companies have privately drawn-up plans and maps regarding their future logging interests.

- Logging companies assumed to privately own equiptment needed to log forest stands. 

- Some reindeer herding communities are starting to draw up their own plans regarding the future of reindeer husbandry.

Human Infrastructure, Private and Human-Made (Public Infrastructure Providers)

(None specified)