Reindeer Husbandry and Barents 2030

RECOMMENDATIONS AND OPTIONS:

The most important action superseding any other is the definition of an actual percentage of ranges and grazing land to be protected within a given time- frame. Secondly that effective monitoring and re- porting to the various parties is presented annually. Shell-Canada has introduced an interesting and ambitious policy of no net increase in roads. Hope- fully such policy could be adapted by most of the countries in the Barents Region for the remaining range areas. EIA’s generally have fairly high standards in north- ern Europe, but are widely limited to the individual development projects, a key problem in piecemeal development. While room for improvement certainly exists, it is the lack of policy on extent of land avail- able to indigenous reindeer herders and wilderness to protect that is the primary problem in the region, not established systems and procedures for EIA’s of the individual development projects. Hopefully this challenge will be met by both Sámi herders and the governments in the region. Reindeer herders’ traditional knowledge, including tra- ditional use of grazing land, needs to be documented before much of their understanding is lost owing to the societal and cultural transformations associated with globalisation. Reindeer has a major cultural and economic significance for indigenous peoples of the North. Human-ecological systems in the North, like reindeer pastoralism, are sensitive to change, per- haps more than in virtually any other region of the globe, due in part to the variability of the Arctic cli- mate and the characteristic ways of life of indigenous Arctic peoples. High sensitivity notwithstanding, little is known about the vulnerability and adaptability of such systems to change. Understanding and measur- ing resilience requires assessment of systems’ ability to adapt to impact and the extent to which freedom to adapt is constrained.

Short-term Raise awareness and enhance capacity building by the further development of courses in industrial and indigenous adaptation and mitigation processes in- volving all parties. These courses should integrate traditional knowledge and up-to-date scientific knowledge on impacts on indigenous peoples and subsistence livelihoods. Further develop courses in training of indigenous peoples in environmental and social impact as- sessments and in negotiations concerning indus- trial development projects Increase outreach and information capacity of rele- vant publications through translations of documents into Russian and selected major indigenous languag- es for regions particularly exposed to development. Mid-term recommendations and options Support the development of Arctic ethical stand- ards and guidelines applying to industry with regard to involvement of indigenous peoples in industrial development processes Include and consider the impacts of industrial de- velopment projects on the ability of indigenous peoples to adapt to a changing climate Adopt a no net loss policy with regard to availability of grazing ranges, so that losses of grazing land from new development is compensated with either restoration, support to adaptation and mitigation measures where effective, or increased access to ranges elsewhere. Long-term recommendations and options Develop an integrated management plan also for the Barents sea land region involving and balancing the land changes associated with industrial and in- frastructure development, climate change and the long-term sustainability of reindeer husbandry. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

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