The integration of nature conservation in land-use management practices in rural municipalities: A case study of four rural municipalities in Norway

This paper investigates how land-use management practices incorporate nature conservation concerns in four Norwegian rural municipalities. It focuses on nature conservation, which is vital both to maintain nature's ability to store carbon and to preserve ecosystems, as key aspects of the environmental dimension of sustainable development. The paper analyses the perceptions of local, regional and state stakeholders relating to four rural municipalities following diverging land-use trajectories. We find land policy in all four cases to be highly entangled with strategies to achieve growth in terms of income, job creation and population. When nature conservation was not in line with wider economic or social considerations, it was less integrated into land-policy practices. In three of the municipalities, the construction of residential units, holiday-homes or renewable energy parks was prioritized over the preservation of nature areas or cultural landscapes. One case presented a contrasting trajectory, as it involved a clear alignment between nature conservation and economic growth. Here, conservation was considered a key strategy to both sustain the traditional fishery industry and to accommodate the growing tourism. However, while this municipality's restrictive land use was based on a nature conservation understanding, it was also connected to the greenhouse-gas emissions, resource exhaustion and waste generation traditionally associated with international tourism. The study concludes by highlighting the importance of rural municipalities being equipped with sufficient resources if they are to prioritize environmental concerns over the economic and social dimensions of sustainability in their land-use management practices.