2002 ARCSS All-Hands Workshop

The Challenges of Modernity for Reindeer Management: integration and sustainable development in Europe's subarctic and boreal regions

Bruce C. Forbes^1
1Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Box 122, Rovaniemi, FIN-96101, Finland, Phone +358-16-3412710, Fax +358-16-3412777, bforbes@urova.fi

REINDEER MANAGEMENT is a research project funded by the European Commission during 2001–04. REINDEER MANAGEMENT aims to address fundamental questions regarding the sustainable utilization of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) in northernmost Europe in order to enhance the quality of life of local reindeer-herding communities and the appropriate management of living resources. Reindeer management is among the most important mutually competing uses of natural resources and the environment in the Barents Euro-Arctic Region. It is also one of the oldest, most resilient forms of livelihood within the region. As competition has increased and the effects have become visible, in particular over the past 25 years, there have been widespread reports of "overgrazing" and calls for significant reductions in the number of animals. The combined effect of these trends is that political discussion about reindeer management policy and its relationship with other uses of the environment (such as tourism, forestry, hydropower, and mining) is intensifying. Until recently, research has been primarily biological, with an emphasis on meat production. In the process, socio-cultural imperatives and traditional knowledge are undervalued. Indigenous herders are reluctant to recognize the validity of regulations derived from state-funded research adhering strictly to agricultural norms.

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