Resource, arcadia, lifeworld. Nature concepts in environmental sociology

In environmental sociology three strands of nature conceptualization can be distinguished: the resource, the 'Arcadian' and the constructionist approa ch. In the resource approach, the instrumental values of nature as a susten ance base are central, and social theory focuses on the way society can be geared to the conditions of sustainability as they are determined by natura l science. In the 'Arcadian' approach, non-instrumental, aesthetic and ethi cal values are central, and social theory focuses primarily on the defense of these values. In the constructionist approach the values of nature, whet her instrumental or non-instrumental, are investigated and criticized as so cial constructions. The article offers a tentative framework for bridging t he gap between constructionism and the other nature approaches. As far as n oninstrumental nature valuation is concerned, this framework puts an emphas is on lifeworld experiences of nature.