title: "Generality of mis-fit"? The real-life difficulty of matching scales in an interconnected world.
abstract: A clear understanding of processes at multiple scales and levels is of special significance when conceiving strategies for human-environment interactions. However, understanding and application of the scale concept often differ between administrative-political and ecological disciplines. These mirror major differences in potential solutions whether and how scales can, at all, be made congruent. As a result, opportunities of seeking "goodness-of-fit" between different concepts of governance should perhaps be reconsidered in the light of a potential "generality of mis-fit." This article reviews the interdisciplinary considerations inherent in the concept of scale in its ecological, as well as administrative-political, significance and argues that issues of how to manage "mis-fit" should be awarded more emphasis in social-ecological research and management practices. These considerations are exemplified by the case of reindeer husbandry in Fennoscandia. Whilst an indigenous small-scale practice, reindeer husbandry involves multi-level ecological and administrative-political complexities-complexities that we argue may arise in any multi-level system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography and Economic History, Umeå University, 901 87, Umeå, Sweden. carina.keskitalo@geography.umu.se.
authors.forename: E Carina H
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Keskitalo
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Tim
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Horstkotte
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kivinen
authors.affiliation: Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, 96101, Rovaniemi, Finland.
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Forbes
authors.affiliation: Department of Geography, University of Turku, 20014, Turku, Finland.
authors.forename: Jukka
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Käyhkö
mesh_terms: D000822:Animal Husbandry / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000818:Animals; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017753:Ecosystem; D005387:Finland; D016468:Forestry / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D038622:Internationality; D008962:Models, Theoretical; D009664:Norway; D011050:Policy Making; D012053:Reindeer / Q000254:growth & development; D012931:Social Environment; D013548:Sweden; D014197:Trees / Q000254:growth & development
keywords: Fennoscandia; Goodness of fit; Mismatch; Reindeer husbandry; Scale