The conceptual framework of ecostrategies (views and use of landscape) presented here have been used to analyse various cases of nature-based tourism and related activities such as outdoor recreation, outdoor education, nature reserves and conservation. The role of the ecostrategies is to illustrate the intersections, conflicts and alliances between different types of nature based tourism and relations to other rural activities. The framework consists of four main ecostrategies, which are identified from the tension between "functional specialization" vs. "territorial adaptation" and the tension between the ideals of "utilization" vs. "appreciation". The four ecostrategies are the landscape seen as: (i) a museum for external consumption, (ii) a factory for producing activities and products, (iii) a dedicated place to be utilized and (iv) a dedicated place to be contemplated. These ecostrategies are linked to various consequences in terms of democracy, environmental issues, views of nature, local development, planning, pedagogy, identity and conflicts. The framework has proved fruitful in discussions about landscape futures, as illustrated by the case studies on nature based tourism, outdoor recreation and nature reserves presented in the article. Some of the framework's shortcomings are here presented, together with suggestions for further development, such as quantitative survey investigations and using a three-dimensional version to illustrate previously hidden tensions.

This text is a somewhat updated version of the first three chapters of the book:

Sandell, Klas; Öhman, Johan & Östman, Leif 2005. Education for Sustainable Development: Nature, School and Democracy. Studentlitteratur, Lund.

The purpose of these three now somewhat updated chapters is to fulfill the asked for need of a brief introduction to the environmental history of society and some very basic insights in human ecology to be used as a background for studies in e.g. environmental studies and outdoor learning.

En vägledare måste alltid samspela med landskapet. Det kan gälla hur gruppen måste stå tätt, tätt ihop i en ring för att kunna höra varandra när det blåser och regnar, eller att kunna uppmärksamma hur solen just nu silar genom lövverket på den stora aspen med sina darrande löv, eller hur den rostiga plåtburken som någon hittade i mossan gör att en del av det planerade programmet får ersättas med skattjakt.