Certifications and changing forestry in the Republic of Karelia: an actor-network approach

Today, the Republic of Karelia forms part of the western border of European Russia, and is home to the Green Belt of Fennoscandia (GBF), a highly biodiverse landscape of forests and watersheds. The Karelian Government is especially invested in the forestry industry owing to the rurality of the region and the economic necessity of these enterprises. Taking an Actor-Network-Theory approach, this thesis looks at changes in Russian forestry overall, with a particular focus on their social implications. Qualitative examples from the Republic of Karelia, a densely-forested western region, will be utilized to show how the Forest Codes of 2007 and the process of certification have drastically changed the actors and networks available in forestry and their surrounding communities. Originally forestry settlements were a simplistic chain of networks, tying industry and the community to the forest. With privatization and a growing interest in the certification process, local actors are now enrolled in a complex web of transnational actors and networks, which are themselves shifting and transforming.

Name thesis:degree_name

M.A.

Level thesis:degree_level

Thesis

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2017

Author dc:creator

• Gorbachik, Adrianne Kristine

Contributors dc:contributor

• Gille, Zsuzsa
• Cooper, David

• Republic of Karelia, Forestry, Russia, Finland, Actor-Network-Theory, Latour, Forestland, Natural Resources, Agency, Callon, Koivuselka,Koivuselkä, Transition Period, Economy, Local actors

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2016 Adrianne K Gorbachik

Language dc:language

en

Handle dc:identifier

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/95386

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/95386