About the dissertation
Humans’ contact with nature has received increased attention in both research and environmental policy, not least for its potential to strengthen pro-environmental behaviour. In a modern, urbanised society, encounters with nature often take place during leisure time beyond the city boundaries, through outdoor recreation. Reaching such places therefore frequently involves travelling by private car, creating a paradox: the benefits of contact with nature risk being offset by the environmental impacts of travel.
This thesis argues that the concept of nature lacks the geographical precision needed to understand where and how such contact emerges, and instead proposes a place-oriented perspective. The perspective is examined through qualitative interviews with people who regularly go on day walks in peri-urban areas of the Gothenburg Region (Sweden). The findings show that encounters with nature are to a large extent place-dependent. Participants’ experience of the environment they are in is central to how nature is perceived, and place knowledge, together with the temporal structure of everyday life and choice of transport, plays a crucial role in enabling access.
Respondent
Oskar Abrahamsson
Opponent
Professor Dr. Erik Aschenbrand, Department of Landscape Management and Nature Conservation, Eberswalde University for Sustainable Development, Tyskland
Grading committee
Associate Professor Nora Fagerholm, Department of Geography and Geology, University of Turku, Finland
Associate Professor Trine Agervig Carstensen, Institut for Geovidenskab og Naturforvaltning, Københavns Universitet, Danmark
Senior Professor Bertil Vilhelmson, Department of Economy and Society, School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg
Chair at the defense
Associate professor Jerry Olsson, Department of Economy and Society, School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg
Supervisor
Professor Marie Stenseke, Department of Economy and Society, School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg
Assistant supervisor
Associate professor Anders Larsson, Department of Economy and Society, School of Business, Economics and Law, University of Gothenburg
