How do local stakeholders make sense of land use conflict? Gällivare case study

Land use conflicts, particularly among mining, forestry, and reindeer herding, are shaped by competing interpretations, stakeholder identities, interaction dynamics, and decision-making processes. This study explores how local stakeholders make sense of land use conflicts through the lens of frame theory. Drawing on a qualitative case study in Gällivare, Northern Sweden, the study conducted key informant interviews and applied frame analysis to examine how different actors define the conflict, perceive their roles and others, interpret interactions, and decision-making processes. The findings reveal multiple, and at times conflicting or overlapping, frames that structure stakeholder understandings of the conflict. By recognising divergent frames, this study can help mediators, planners, and policymakers design more inclusive and responsive processes that do not assume a shared understanding among actors but instead actively work to bridge interpretive gaps.