The Commodification of Nature: a Case Study of the "Ladoga Skerries" National Park

This article examines the issue of the commodification of North Ladoga and different views on the use of natural resources. The fate of this unique natural landscape exposed to serious human impact has become the focus of long-term discussions between the authorities at different levels, scholars and local citizens. The foundation of the "Ladoga Skerrics" national park was warranted by the need to preserve a unique natural complex, but affected the rights of the local population, who united against this idea. This study is based on unpublished archival sources, interviews and data from various internet forums. Applying a multidisciplinary approach, the authors demonstrate how the natural landscapes of North Ladoga have become visual objects and how ecotourism has become a tool for the park's commodification. The local population considers this area their living space and an object of material consumption. Thus, the case study in this article reveals the classic contradiction between the collective and the individual. From the analysis of the local population's views we conclude that the conflict is not simply centered on the various types of the commodification of nature. The national park violates the invisible borders surrounding what the local people perceive as their living space. The mechanism of such a perception could be presented as a chain: the marking of territory, the appropriation of space, the consumption of nature and defending the land. The authors reveal how this conflict has become a higher-level political issue, in which the opponents of the national park have become defeated, leaving the conflict unresolved.