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There is considerable geographical overlap between areas set aside for nature conservation and Indigenous peoples’ lands, and the social, economic and political consequences of protected areas have often been extensive for Indigenous peoples. The same is true in Sápmi. In Norway, Sweden and Finland, environmental governance and management has historically been largely centralised, with low levels of local influence and control. In line with global trends, the countries’ environmental policies are moving towards collaborative models as a preferred arrangement for environmental management and are increasingly considering Sámi rights to influence over the governance and management of land and natural resources in Sápmi. However, mechanisms to ensure Sámi influence in conservation governance and management differ considerably between the countries. Moreover, collaborative conservation governance and management arrangements do not always deliver the positive social outcomes expected. In this chapter, we discuss the intersection of conservation and Sámi rights on the Norwegian, Swedish and Finnish sides of Sápmi, with a particular focus on collaborative arrangements and the ways in which discourses on conservation, collaboration and Indigenous peoples shape conditions for Sámi agency in relation to the governance and management of landscapes for environmental protection.

In Sweden, environmental governance and management has historically been centralized, with low levels of local influence and control. Although a large proportion of the areas set aside for environmental protection in Sweden are located in Saepmie, the traditional lands of the Saemie people, Saemie influence in the governance and management of these areas has been limited. However, recent events and ongoing processes indicate a potential change in both discourse and policy practice. This paper critically examines the planning process for a proposed national park in the southern part of the Swedish mountain range. It was organized in a collaborative and participatory form, including Saemie representatives on both local and central levels. After several years of planning, local Saemie opposition to the park led to the termination of the process. We investigate discursive constructions of the local Saemie actors’ inclusion in the process and their effects on possible Saemie influence. Our results show that state and Saemie actors articulate inclusion in different ways, limiting and enabling varying forms of influence. The landscape and the state of nature were central constructions affecting the process, and the project’s aim transformed over time – with significant consequences for the process and, possibly, also its results.