Chapter 9
In: Landscapes of Affect and Emotion
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Abstract
Koli is perhaps the best known natural landscape in Finland. In this article, we take a new perspective on geographic history and use the pragmatist conception of ecosystem services (ES) as a tool to study the birth and development process of a national landscape. ES are defined as ecosystem functions that are valuable for human wellbeing and livelihood, both on a personal and community level. We identify key cultural ES from different eras of time, discuss what the benefit streams in each of them are, and hypothesize how and why these benefit streams become entangled and are stabilized as constituents of the modern landscape of Koli. Our analysis is based on learned studies, memoirs, and personal experience. In conclusion, we will provide a novel way of understanding the role of cultural ES as a constituent of, and in, constituting a national landscape. The genealogical approach to Koli enables us to create a three-partite hypothesis how habits, customs, and ecosystem features intertwine as cultural ES and provide emotional inspirations, resilience and social cohesion to individuals and communities.