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The conceptual framework of ecostrategies (views and use of landscape) presented here have been used to analyse various cases of nature-based tourism and related activities such as outdoor recreation, outdoor education, nature reserves and conservation. The role of the ecostrategies is to illustrate the intersections, conflicts and alliances between different types of nature based tourism and relations to other rural activities. The framework consists of four main ecostrategies, which are identified from the tension between "functional specialization" vs. "territorial adaptation" and the tension between the ideals of "utilization"vs. "appreciation". The four ecostrategies are the landscape seen as: (i) a museum for external consumption, (ii) a factory for producing activities and products, (iii) a dedicated place to be utilized and (iv) a dedicated place to be contemplated. These ecostrategies are linked to various consequences in terms of democracy, environmental issues, views of nature, local development, planning, pedagogy, identity and conflicts. The framework has proved fruitful in discussions about landscape futures, as illustrated by the case studies on nature based tourism, outdoor recreation and nature reserves presented in the article. Some of the framework's shortcomings are here presented, together with suggestions for further development, such as quantitative survey investigations and using a three-dimensional version to illustrate previously hidden tensions.

The conceptual framework of ecostrategies (views and use of landscape) presented here have been used to analyse various cases of nature-based tourism and related activities such as outdoor recreation, outdoor education, nature reserves and conservation. The role of the ecostrategies is to illustrate the intersections, conflicts and alliances between different types of nature based tourism and relations to other rural activities. The framework consists of four main ecostrategies, which are identified from the tension between "functional specialization" vs. "territorial adaptation" and the tension between the ideals of "utilization" vs. "appreciation". The four ecostrategies are the landscape seen as: (i) a museum for external consumption, (ii) a factory for producing activities and products, (iii) a dedicated place to be utilized and (iv) a dedicated place to be contemplated. These ecostrategies are linked to various consequences in terms of democracy, environmental issues, views of nature, local development, planning, pedagogy, identity and conflicts. The framework has proved fruitful in discussions about landscape futures, as illustrated by the case studies on nature based tourism, outdoor recreation and nature reserves presented in the article. Some of the framework's shortcomings are here presented, together with suggestions for further development, such as quantitative survey investigations and using a three-dimensional version to illustrate previously hidden tensions.

In Sweden the so-called Right of Public Access is of fundamental import for the public's visits to and presence in the countryside in the form of outdoor life activities, recreation and nature-based tourism. Similar – although not identical – relations apply in Norway and Finland. The basic principle for the Swedish Right of Public Access is that it is the existing landscape with its characteristic features and traits and associated enjoyment that is "accessible", as long as the tolerance limits for what one can and cannot do, principally "disturb not, destroy not", are not transgressed. Although the Right of Public Access is named as a concept in both The Environmental Code and the Swedish Constitution, its content is not specified. In principle, the Right of Public Access can be seen as the "free space" that is formed between the different laws' terms of reference, in the main: economic interests, privacy and nature preservation/conservation. The terms of reference relating to the Right of Public Access' free space are thus to be regarded as relatively broad grey zones in terms of what one can do, what one ought or ought not to do and what one cannot do. The bottom line is that the landowner has to accept that other people temporarily visit or cross his/her land and water, providing that no economic damage is done or that privacy is infringed. Government agencies are expected to enforce and safeguard nature protection/conservation with the aid of e.g. various national park/nature reserve provisions and regulations and legal protection. The fourth demarcation – the landscape itself and its use – means that the fact that agricultural land, forestry, infrastructure etc., disappears or is accrued according to the landowner's interests, legislation, government agency plans etc., is to be regarded as given from a public access perspective. Thus, with regard to the Right of Public Access, with very few exceptions is it possible to maintain that the landscape should or should not be made use of in certain ways. All in all, this means that it is the landscape itself that must "tell" the user about the possibilities and limitations of things like land use and time of year (e.g. how vulnerable the land is); weather (e.g. for lighting fires); visibility (e.g. how close one can be to a house) etc. Like with all stories, though, one has to learn to read, listen and interpret; something that is of course challenged in today's highly mobile and multicultural society. Apart from reviewing the growth and basic content of the Right of Public Access as outlined above, aided by current studies this presentation will focus on: today's position and role of the Right of Public Access, including the public's views, knowledge situation and its role for their outdoor life; differences between those living in towns and in the countryside; tourism entrepreneurs' views of the Right of Public Access in relation to their work and activities; and issues relating to change and the future.

National parks are often places where people have previously lived and worked-they have been formed by a combination of natural and human processes that embody an identifiable history of cultural and political values. Conservation of protected areas is primarily about how we perceive such landscapes, how we place differential values on different landscape components, and who gets to decide on these values. Thus, conservation has been and still is very much about issues of power and environmental justice. This paper analyses the social, political and environmental histories of three national park regimes (South Africa, Sweden and Scotland) through the lens of public access rights. We examine the evolving status of access rights-in a broad sense that includes access to land, resources and institutions of governance-as a critical indicator of the extent to which conservation policies and legislation realise the aims of environmental justice in practice. Our case studies illustrate how access rights are contingent on the historical settings and ideological contexts in which the institutions controlling national park management have evolved. Dominant cultural, political and scientific ideologies have given rise to historical precedents and institutional structures that affect the promotion of environmental justice in and around national parks today. In countries where national parks were initially created to preserve perceived 'wilderness', with decisions taken by powerful elites and central authorities, this historical legacy has prevented profound change in line with new policy directives. The comparative analysis of national park regimes, where historical trajectories both converge and diverge, was useful in improving our understanding of contemporary issues involving conservation, people and politics

Following the paradigm shift in nature conservation policy towards the inclusion of local inhabitants in the planning and management of protected areas, tourism is emphasised as a means to achieve economic development in peripheral areas. Governance issues and the real impacts from tourism on development are thus often under scrutiny. This article focuses on the role of tourism in the political process of designating protected areas. How does the inclusion of the tourism argument affect designation processes? What kind of tourism is being promoted and how can it be conceptualised with regard to human views of the use of nature? An ecostrategic framework is presented to illustrate the essential land-use choices available. Three cases of protected area designation processes are used to address the issue of tourism: the failure of the Kiruna National Park proposal and the successful implementation of the snowmobile regulation area in Funäsdalen and Fulufjället National Park. The analysis shows that while tourism may increase local acceptance of protected areas, the power of this argument also depends on contextual and process factors.

Nature interpretation in the Nordic countries is a book about communication between nature interpreters and their participants in our landscapes. It´s about first hand experiences of nature and the importance of to paying attention to what is inspiring and fascinating, especially valuable or threatened. And about possibilities to reflect over the relation between human and nature. Educators, researchers and interpreters contribute with articles about nature interpretation it theory and practice. The book is written for everyone who is interested in how interpretation can contribute to a sustainable future, nature conservation and areas in society like public health, democracy and the right for all citizens to visit and experience nature. The purpose is to inspire nature interpreters to offer more and even better experiences and learning in the Nordic nature and cultural landscapes.