Outdoor Recreation and Environmentalism Social and Spatial Perspectives

Sammanfattning: Outdoor recreation and environmentalism are interlinked phenomena. Historically, they have clear parallels; both emerged at the dawn of the last century, drew inspiration from the Romantic Movement, and were reactions against elements in the modern industrialized and urbanized society. The establishment of the national parks in Sweden (first in Europe) could be seen as one illustration of this linkage; the protected natural areas came to serve as landscapes for the practice of outdoor recreation.From this beginning, outdoor recreation has been a retreat for environmentalists and an expression of “close to nature” ideals but also a source of inspiration for critics of modern society.  Within this context, this thesis explores the relationship between outdoor recreation and environmentalism of today. The study focuses on how people who express an environmental commitment relate to, and use, nature and the landscape as a recreational resource in contemporary Sweden and is empirically based upon quantitative and qualitative data, including a case study of the organization Nature and Youth Sweden (Fältbiologerna).