Out of the shadows: a routine for the inclusion of Sami villages in the reconsideration of the environmental conditions of hydropower
The purpose of the project is to translate new research on Sami rights and resource management into a routine that will facilitate responsible authorities to work with the inclusion of Sami issues and Sami villages in the upcoming review process for hydropower
The purpose of the project is to translate new research on Sami rights and resource management into a routine that will facilitate the responsible authorities to work with the inclusion of Sami issues and Sami communities in the upcoming reassessment process for hydropower. This innovative management procedure has great potential to be scaled up – it is applicable throughout the entire reindeer husbandry area (approx. 55% of Sweden's surface), in court trials for over 100 hydropower plants in the Bothnian Bay and the Bothnian Sea water district, and with a period of use of up to 20 years.
The focus is on how collaboration, which will take place in each river basin before the court proceedings, can ensure that Sami claims are assessed. The project is run in close cooperation with the Sami Council and the Swedish Sami National Association. Dialogue will also be conducted with relevant state authorities. The involvement of Sami organisations will add much-needed demands for environmental justice in the “shadow places” created by Swedish energy and environmental policy. This will contribute to a more sustainable, efficient and legitimate management of hydropower, as well as ensuring that state authorities fulfill their obligation to protect Sami rights and that the hydropower industry can avoid economic and reputational damage.
Research team: Rasmus Kløcker Larsen (Stockholm Environment Institute, principal investigator), Katarina Inga (Stockholm Environment Institute), Christina Allard (Luleå University of Technology).
Partners: Swedish Sami National Association, Sami Council.
Financier: Formas
2021-12-01 -- 2023-11-30
Contact
Christina Allard
- Professor, Recognised University Teacher
- 0920-491379
- christina.allard@ltu.se
- Christina Allard
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