Reindeer Husbandry and Barents 2030

NEW NORWEGIAN REINDEER HERDING ACT IN 2007 The basic unit within reindeer husbandry in Norway has been the husbandry unit, the head of which is usually the concession holder, a model that dates back to 1978. The recently passed Reindeer Act seeks to reestablish the siida as an important man- agement tool for reindeer husbandry. The siida is a community based working group within reindeer husbandry which forms the central basis of deci- sions made related to grazing grounds. The mem- bers are often related, and the composition of the

siida may change from summer to winter. The new law has changed the term “husbandry unit” to “sii- da share” and also slightly changed the content of this term. By way of illustration, in West Finnmark (24,290 km 2 ), there are 26 pasture districts, 36 sum- mer siidas, 53 winter siidas, 216 siida shares, 1322 reindeer owners, and 93,900 reindeer (2006–2007). This breaks down to 435 reindeer per siida share, 71 reindeer per owner, and 6 reindeer owners per siida share (Reindeer Husbandry Administration 2008).

letten and Klokov 2002). Compensation is another source of income for husbandry units – most of which is for loss of reindeer to predators. Compensation is also sometimes paid for loss of pastures, and this fig- ure has been controversial in how is has been applied. While compensation is a source of income, it should be noted that e.g. in Norway, only around 20% of the annual claimed losses to predators are paid for by the government (Jernsletten and Klokov 2002). Over 50% of the expenses in reindeer husbandry are related to mechanical equipment (Reinert 2006). If transportation is included, the costs reach 80–90% of the total costs, clearly illustrating that mechanization of the industry has led to high expenditures. All in all, there is no doubt that most reindeer husbandry units in Norway have an income far below the average income in Norway (Rein- deer Husbandry Administration 2007).

Figure 3. The coastal areas of Finnmark include spring, calving and summer ranges, and are therefore of high value to reindeer herders. The above graphic represents annual migrations of reindeer between inland and coast- al ranges in Norway (Vorren, 1962, Tyler et al., 2007).

Reindeer and caribou populations can fluctuate sub- stantially in numbers in response to forage availability,

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