This doctoral thesis will show that Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld (1832-1901), a Finnish born Swedish scientist and explorer, was an environmentally literate person before the concept of environmental literacy was formulated in the 1960s. During his Arctic expeditions, between 1858 and 1883, Nordenskiöld observed destructive processes in the natural world caused by humans and he took appropriate action to maintain, restore, or improve the health of the systems in nature: features, which are substantive qualifications of environmental literacy. He presented environmentally literate ideas in his writings, especially in his short essay, written in 1880 and entitled “Förslag till inrättandet af Riksparker i de nordiska länderna.” This essay has subsequently gained a reputation as one of the founding texts in the history of early Nordic conservation. 

This work brings together scholarship in environmental history, economic history, the history of ideas and ethnology, the history of science and the history of ideologies; the study of explorations, conservation and the Arctic regions. It is the first research to be carried out on Nordenskiöld from the point of view of environmental history. 

The articles that make up this dissertation will discuss different sides of Nordenskiöld’s life and career, his interests and environmentally literate expressions. They also analyse his position in the history of Nordic conservation. A conservation movement can be seen as a military-like organisation to protect nature. Nordenskiöld wanted to fight against new kinds of infrastructure and technological innovations, which threatened pristine nature and he wanted to prevent any ecological disasters. This is why he suggested the establishment of national parks in which pristine nature could be saved in open-air museums to be enjoyed by future generations. Many of his colleagues, in Sweden, Finland and abroad, shared his concerns and, continued to argue for conservation after his death. The first nine national parks in Sweden were established in 1909 in places recommended by Nordenskiöld in “Förslag”: “publicly owned land […] which yield insignificant or no profit”. 

This doctoral dissertation proves that the concept of environmental literacy can be used in a case study in a historical perspective. Nordenskiöld’s example helps us to understand the important role of every individual in the history of the environment: the fact that everybody has an impact on history and on the environment.