The guidelines for the development and future of Inari are drawn using a freshly-baked survey conducted for the municipal residents as the basis of the work. The workshop reviewed threats and opportunities.
In Inari, the voice of the municipality’s citizens is heard when considering the municipality’s future. Work has been done in local workshops, one of which was organized yesterday, Tuesday. There were a lot of local experts, teachers, gold diggers, students and ordinary Inari people who had the opportunity to share their views on the future of Inari.
The preliminary results of a fresh survey were used as a basis for the ideas. The people of Inari who responded to the survey had thought about the future possibilities and threats of the municipality of Inari.
There are opportunities, as well as threats
According to the survey, the people of Inari considered tourism and the growth of tourism to be the most important opportunity for the Inari region. We want it to be sustainable, responsible and controlled in the future.
Another possibility was considered to be the Sámi culture and its preservation as a vital force. According to the majority of the respondents, this would require an agreement on the Sami assembly law reasonably soon.
Pure nature in all its forms and silence and the northern lights are considered to be the area’s biggest attraction. Conflicts and disputes between businesses and groups of people related to natural resources and land use were perceived as threats.
The challenge of Inari’s attractiveness was seen as the growing housing shortage and the resulting difficulty in getting enough labor to the area, especially during the high season.
In the survey, the destruction of nature with unsustainable new activities such as mass tourism, mines, wind power and large infrastructure projects was seen as a threat. They were seen to weaken the attraction factors of the area such as wilderness, silence and darkness.
An agreement can be found through dialogue
– Such events are very good because even ordinary citizens of the municipality can make their voices heard. Here you can see that the most important thing is to make the future together, in harmony, says Pertti Heikkuri.
Ilkka Roininen is on the same lines. Different views must be tolerated and discussed openly.
– Things can argue, but they must be dealt with. This workshop has been very successful. If we don’t try together, we can’t achieve anything, says Roininen.
– I hope that the decision-makers will also take these future paths presented here seriously and use them as a basis for decision-making, hopes Taru Rikkonen.
Results of the workshop expected next week
The first workshop was held on Monday, and on Thursday of next week, the results of the workshop and ideas for Inari’s future paths will be reviewed and published with the same group.
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