Reindeer Husbandry and Barents 2030

IMPACTS OF DEVELOPMENT AND HUMAN ACTIVITY ON REINDEER

Reindeer herding represents a highly extensive form of land use. For herders the principle issue is gener- ally the securing of pastures in which to graze their reindeer. Indeed, the progressive and effectively ir- reversible loss of the uncultivated lands which rein- deer use as pasture is probably the single greatest threat to reindeer husbandry in the Barents Region today. Preservation of rangeland is, correspondingly, perhaps the single greatest priority for sustaining the resilience of reindeer herding confronted by changes in both the natural and the socio-economic environ- ment (UNEP 2001). Loss of pastures occurs principally in two ways: (i) through physical destruction and (ii) through a reduc- tion of use of the existing pastures. Reindeer pastures are physically lost through e.g. the construction of buildings, hydro-electricity facilities, pipelines, roads, and other infrastructure. Research shows, however, that only a few percent of the total available pastures are usually physically lost as a result of even large de- velopment projects (Maki 1992, Nellemann et al . 2003).

Of far greater concern is the reindeer’s gradual aban- donment of previously high-use areas surrounding development and human activity (UNEP 2001, 2004, Schaefer 2003, Vistnes and Nellemann 2008), pos- sibly because areas close to humans are perceived as being high risk areas (Frid and Dill 2002). A range of studies have documented a 50–95% reduction in use of rangeland by reindeer and caribou within a 2.5 to 5 km wide zone surrounding cabins, dams, power lines, roads and other infrastructure (Cameron et al . 1992, 1995, Helle and Särkelä 1993, Nellemann and Cameron 1996, 1998, Vistnes and Nellemann 2001, Mahoney and Schaefer 2002, Nellemann et al . 2000, 2001, 2003, Vistnes et al . 2004, Joly et al . 2006, Schaefer and Mahoney 2007). When avoidance zones are several km wide, it usually means that a substantial portion of the range receives lower use, and that the animals will have to crowd into the remaining undis- turbed pastures. Reindeer density is likely to increase in rangelands away from disturbance, often resulting in increased competition over forage with subsequent reduction in growth and production.

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