Can knowledge contribute to better consultation? Power and framing in an education for forestry representatives about reindeer husbandry plans

In Sweden, increased knowledge and education have over the years been regarded as the main solution for improving the formal consultation practice of samråd between reindeer husbandry and forestry. In this paper we investigate forestry representatives' perceptions of relevant knowledge in relation to samråd. The paper builds on surveys of forest sector participants in an education course arranged by the Sami Parliament which included, amongst other things, a focus on reindeer husbandry plans. Results show that framings of knowledge at the course, such as how knowledge was selected and presented, played a significant role in how the course was received. The study thus highlights how a problem can be formed or expressed differently by different groups, and how the framing of knowledge impacts how it is understood. The different understandings of what knowledge is, and which knowledge is relevant at specific levels, problematise the historic long-term general demand for increased knowledge as an important measure for improving samråd, not least considering the uneven power relations between the actors.