Land-use conflicts in Sweden have been increasingly marked by affective polarization between actor groups, i.e. a growing difference between positive and negative emotions attached to viewpoints and values on land use issues. This concerns conflicts over the industrial Swedish forestry model, but also other examples like the environmental benefits of organic farming, and the exploitation of arable land for urban planning or wind parks. The polarization surrounding these and other questions has also impacted the role of researchers, with emerging or intensifying fault lines within the scholarly community on land-use conflicts. Notably, these and other land-use conflicts in Sweden are strongly embedded in multi-level governance settings. A proper understanding of the drivers and mechanisms of these (polarized) conflicts, along with possible responses to them, therefore needs to incorporate the dynamics between international, national and local actors and processes.

The aim of the workshop is to consider preliminary results on the topic as discussed by the current Pufendorf IAS ASG "De- Polarizing Land Use Conflicts in Sweden" and the BECC action group -  and also to identify current key research alleys, societal and political debates as well as future research directions. 

The workshop seeks to discuss

1. conceptual and analytical approaches to better understand land-use conflicts in Sweden,
2. the particular case of polarization over Swedish old-growth forests, and
3. options to address this polarization, including potential lessons learned from other land use-related conflicts in Sweden. 

The workshop is free of charge, meals included. Please note that registration is necessary. Register here before November 27th

Programme:

9:30 Arrival, registration and coffee & tea

10:00 – 10:30  Welcome & Introducing the ASG

Moderated by Fariborz Zelli

10:30 – 12:00  Session 1: Understanding land-use conflicts

Panel discussion with Rebecca Fröse, Christian Lund, Torsten Krause

The session starts by insights into land use conflicts from different parts of the world before engaging in a discussion on common factors driving conflicts and possible management strategies

12:00 – 13:00Lunch 

13:00 – 14:30  Session 2: Polarization in the Swedish Forest​​​​​​

Panel discussion with Anders Ahlström, Cecilia Akselsson, Kaisa Raitio

This session starts to dig into specific conflicts in Swedish forests, considering biodiversity conservation, ecosystem service provision, and participation.

14:30 – 15:00 Coffee and tea

15:00 – 16:30 Session 3: Lessons learned on de-polarizing land use conflicts

Parallel workshops on drivers, dimensions and solutions

This session is organized around collaborative sense-making to understand the emergence, the unfolding, and the potential and shortcomings of resolution approaches for land use conflicts.

16:30 – 16:45 Coffee and tea

16:50 – 17:30 Summary of key insights and wrapping up

This session will include a reporting back and a brief conclusion of lessons learned and ways forward.