We belong to the land: review of two northern rewilding sites as a vehicle for equity in conservation

The paper situates climate-driven species redistribution and planetary ecological change alongside enduring environmental injustices and equity concerns as central challenges for conservation. It argues that conventional, top-down, state-led protected areas are insufficient and calls for reformative approaches that integrate Indigenous and local community knowledge, rights, and governance. Drawing on Ostrom’s concept of the action arena, the authors examine how local agency and decision-making can be restored. The focus is on Finnish and Sámi Indigenous contexts in the Boreal and Arctic, highlighting the need to overcome the outdated binary of development versus preservation and to develop new moral and contextual maps for navigating “wicked” socio-ecological problems. The paper asks how conservation can be equitable and what new pathways are needed, positioning ICCAs (Indigenous and Community-Conserved Areas) and rewilding as central vehicles.

The paper synthesizes work on climate-driven species redistribution and socio-ecological systems (Bonebrake et al., 2017; Pecl et al., 2017; IPCC, 2022) and governance of common-pool resources (Ostrom, 2009; McGinnis & Ostrom, 2014). It critiques the colonial and top-down legacy of protected areas (Kelleher, 2018; WDPA, 2020), emphasizing equity across recognition, procedural, and distributive dimensions (CBD, 2018; Schlosberg, 2007). ICCAs/Territories of Life are presented as a recognized, rights-based conservation typology (Farvar et al., 2018). Historical-cultural analyses (Alexievich, 2006; Soudakova, 2020) underscore how unresolved legacies and memory shape present crises and the need for reformative approaches. Finnish erämaa and Sámi siida systems are reviewed as customary governance antecedents relevant to contemporary conservation (Salo, 1984, 1997; Koivunen, 1992; Vilkuna, 1971; Mustonen, 2017).

- Conceptual framing: Rewilding as landscape-wide restoration and renewal of integrated socio-ecological systems (Perino et al., 2019), analyzed through Ostrom’s action arena to assess stakeholder participation and local agency. - Research design: Historical-geographical case study approach of two Nordic sites (Salojenneva peatland; Vainosjoki river) transformed by state-led extractivism, then restored via community-led rewilding. - Data sources: Existing materials and reports in local languages and prior publications (Feodoroff, 2021; Huntington et al., 2017; Mustonen 2017, 2021, 2022; Snowchange Cooperative, n.d.), complemented by internal ecological monitoring summaries. - Interventions (Salojenneva): Conversion of an abandoned peat mining complex into three large wetland units (2018–2021), co-managed with local association (Pro Kuivasjärvi). Objectives included biodiversity recovery, water quality improvement, and carbon emission prevention. - Interventions (Vainosjoki): Full river restoration (2017–2019) using Indigenous knowledge and science; physical habitat reconstruction by relocating rocks/boulders and adding spawning gravel; co-management by Skolt Sámi Council and Elders; post-restoration ecological monitoring (2018–2021). - Analytical lens: Equity and rights-based conservation via ICCA typologies; assessment of governance shifts from centralized control to community co-management; evaluation of ecological indicators (e.g., returning species, spawning events) and social outcomes (agency, cultural revival).

- Salojenneva (Western Finland): - Rewilded 2018–2021 from an abandoned peat mine into a bird-rich wetland and carbon sink; formal protection achieved in 2021. - Biodiversity indicators (2019 monitoring, Kontkanen, 2019): Little gull (Hydrocoloeus minutus) ~90 visiting pairs; Goldeneye (Bucephala clangula) 5 breeding pairs; Teal (Anas crecca) 5 breeding pairs; Common greenshank (Tringa nebularia) 1 nesting pair; Meadow pipit (Anthus pratensis) 2 nesting pairs; Dunlin (Calidris alpina) visiting individuals. - Ecosystem services and community benefits: Improved onsite and downstream water quality, enhanced fishing and recreation, resumed hunting capacity, increased local pride and agency; reduced soil-based CO2 emissions from peat (Scherer, 2022 in press). - Vainosjoki (Skolt Sámi territory, NE Lapland): - 5-km river reach dredged for timber floating (1968–1972) fully restored (2017–2019) through co-management by Skolt Sámi Council and Elders using Indigenous knowledge and scientific methods. - Post-restoration monitoring (2018–2021) confirmed successful spawning of Grayling (Thymallus thymallus) and Brown trout (Salmo trutta) in reconstructed gravel beds; hydrological and habitat functions re-established. - Social outcomes: Strengthened Sámi agency, food security and cultural fisheries; model for addressing long-term damages and climate resilience. - Governance and equity: - Both sites demonstrate a shift from state-led extractivism to community-led conservation consistent with ICCA principles, with state agencies accepting co-management arrangements. - Cases illustrate how recognizing local rights, knowledge, and governance can achieve effective, equitable conservation aligned with CBD targets. - Conceptual insights: - Restoration yields novel ecosystems rather than returning to historical baselines; dynamic, rights-based governance (ICCAs) and Ostrom’s action arena are effective frameworks for navigating socio-ecological recovery.

The findings show that community-led rewilding, grounded in Indigenous and local knowledge and governance, can reverse extensive ecological degradation while restoring social agency. Applying Ostrom’s action arena reframes decision-making away from top-down control toward inclusive stakeholder engagement. In Vainosjoki, Indigenous memory sustained the impetus for restoration across decades, overcoming state neglect and reframing a “pristine wilderness” narrative to reveal historical damage and guide effective interventions. In Salojenneva, co-management and rewilding delivered rapid biodiversity recovery, water quality improvements, and carbon benefits, culminating in formal protection. Both cases function as ICCAs in practice, demonstrating equitable conservation that recognizes rights, procedural participation, and fair distribution of benefits. The work underscores that successful conservation in the era of novel ecosystems requires dynamic governance, cultural revival, and explicit redress of historical injustices. These outcomes contribute to national and global biodiversity targets and provide replicable pathways for integrating equity into conservation.

Community-led rewilding in Finnish erämaa and Sámi siida contexts demonstrates that addressing past damages, restoring customary governance, and recognizing rights can produce effective, equitable conservation outcomes. The cases operationalize an Indigenous–science–rewilding interface, advancing ICCA-aligned, dynamic conservation that rebuilds socio-ecological resilience, supports cultural revival, and contributes to climate mitigation. Because restoration creates novel ecosystems, adaptive, locally determined governance is essential. Future directions include: expanding ICCA recognition and registration where communities wish; refining Northern ICCA conceptualization; scaling co-management and dynamic demarcation responsive to ecological change; and centering community agency to meet rights, biodiversity, and climate goals across mosaic landscapes.

- Restoration produces novel ecosystems rather than historical states; outcomes cannot replicate pre-disturbance conditions, and restoration remains a form of biomanipulation. - Conceptualization of ICCAs in Northern contexts requires further refinement; a dedicated Northern framework is still in development. - Some analyses acknowledge scope limits (e.g., not detailing all ecological impact pathways). Contextual, place-based factors mean approaches and identities of rewilded sites are locally determined and may not generalize uniformly. - The cases function as ICCAs in practice but are not yet registered in global databases, and broader policy alignment and rights recognition in Finland remain incomplete.