Sámi reindeer herders are feeling increased pressure from many directions and are worried about the future. Climate change is certainly one stress factor, but it is compounded by other threats that worry them even more.
By Sølvi W. Normannsen - Published 6 February 2025
Reindeer are the only domesticated grazing animals that rely on finding their own food 365 days a year. They roam on meadows, in forests, across plateaus and in barren mountainous areas, always in search of food. Each herd has its own unique landscape and migration routes.
Reindeer husbandry is currently practised in nearly 140 of Norway’s 357 municipalities.For some reindeer, the distance covered during the main spring and autumn migrations can be as little as 10 kilometres – for others, it can be as much as 500 kilometres.
However, road construction, wind farms, power lines and cabin developments are increasingly encroaching on the industry’s resource base. The interaction between ecology, economics, politics and social development creates challenges.
As part of the Future Arctic Lives project, researchers from Umeå University and NTNU have investigated how these developments, along with climate change, are affecting Swedish and Norwegian reindeer herders’ outlook on the future.
They have surveyed how the industry perceives factors such as climate change, tourism, agriculture and forestry, mining, predators, disease and road construction.
Umeå University professor Göran Bostedt has seen a strong engagement in reindeer husbandry and says that the intensity of this engagement has increased steadily in Sweden.
"The answers show a strong commitment to the profession. We also see that the intensity of the commitment has increased over time in Sweden, so that Swedish reindeer owners have now become more like their Norwegian colleagues," Bosted said.
More afraid of predators than climate change
The causes of concern vary, but on both sides of the border, reindeer herders point to predators, particularly lynx, wolverines and golden eagles, as the greatest threat.
“This doesn't mean they are not worried about climate change. The clear impression we get is rather that the ability to adapt to climate change is limited by other factors – such as predators and the loss of habitat to wind power and mining,” said Bostedt.
Less conflict over losses in Sweden
The protection of large predators in reindeer herding areas has sparked major conflicts in both countries, but the researchers highlight an important difference in the public compensation schemes in Norway and Sweden
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- In Norway, compensation is directly linked to the number of animals proven to have been taken by predators, and disagreements about compensation are not uncommon.
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- In Sweden, compensation is calculated based on county estimates of predator density. The researcher believes that this is how the Swedes have avoided some of the problems seen in Norway.
The biggest difference is that Swedish reindeer herders perceive the forestry industry as a much greater threat than their Norwegian counterparts
The development of wind power in reindeer grazing areas is a source of conflict in both countries. In Norway, wind turbines are considered an even greater threat than climate change.
The researchers predict that tensions will only increase. Mining is also a competitor in the struggle over grazing areas.
Tourism, hut construction and mainstream society
The study conducted by Umeå University and NTNU shows that the Norwegian reindeer herders are more worried about tourism than the Swedes. This must be seen in light of the increase in hiking tourism and the development of holiday homes on the Norwegian side of the border.
“The concern about governmental influence in the form of laws and regulations is deep in both countries. The reindeer herders seem to view mainstream society with a certain degree of distrust,” Bostedt said.
This is compounded by the concern about society’s view of the Sámi people, which is also deep in both countries.
The study is part of the EU Horizon project called Future Arctic livelihoods and biodiversity in a changing climate. The ability to adapt to external pressure has been studied before, but until this study, knowledge about how the overall pressure is experienced has been limited.
Difficult choices
One effect of climate change is that the reindeer’s life cycle, which is linked to the changing of the seasons, is disrupted. Spring arrives earlier than usual – the grazing grounds are locked under layers of ice, preventing the reindeer from getting enough food. In the survey, the reindeer herders were presented with choices that are considered highly controversial.
They had to choose between the lesser of two evils: either to supplement the reindeer’s diet with feed, or to reduce the size of the herd.
Some reindeer herders perceive this as a choice imposed on them by mainstream society, because access to grazing areas is becoming more limited.
“The herders either choose to supplement with feed year after year without changing the size of the herd, or they choose never to feed the reindeer and instead to reduce the herd. We had expected more of a balance between the two alternatives, meaning more variation in how many seasons a herder is willing to supplement with feed before reducing the herd,” explained Anne Borge Johannesen.
Johannesen is one of the researchers in the study and head of the Department of Economics at NTNU.
Central Norway is hardest hit
In addition to surveys, the study is based on historical data on the effects of climate change. The researchers have combined data on earlier springs, ice formation on grazing grounds, and reindeer slaughter weight in a bioeconomic model.
The model simulates three climate scenarios for four areas in Norway and Sweden, and what happens if the global average temperature increases by 1.5 degrees, 2.6 degrees and 4 degrees.
The results are quite similar for the northernmost parts of Sweden and Norway, as well as for the central part of Norrland in Sweden. The study shows that the industry in Central Norway, primarily in Trøndelag County, will be hit the hardest – regardless of the scenario.
Several lawsuits in Sweden
There are significant differences between the two countries, in terms of both regulations and reindeer herding conditions. The level of conflict between the Sámi people and the majority population is higher in Sweden than in Norway.
In Norway, there is more unrest surrounding the development of wind power and hiking tourism. Out of 19 possible factors, the forestry industry was identified as the biggest cause of concern in Sweden. In contrast, this is barely an issue in Norway.
The Swedish Sámi people have taken several conflicts to court. One example is the Sámi village of Girja, which sued the state over hunting and fishing rights within the Girja district. After a ten-year legal process, the Supreme Court of Sweden ruled in favour of the Sámi village.
Red tape without a comprehensive approach
“The overall pressure on the industry is increasing and becoming more and more problematic over time. In addition, we see that permits are being granted in both countries that entail a change of land use in reindeer herding areas – there is no comprehensive approach that takes into account the impact of the overall pressure” said Bostedt.
"If our research can contribute to a broader perspective in decision making that affects reindeer husbandry, we'll have gained a lot," he said.
Greater hope in the future in Norway
Norwegian reindeer owners have greater confidence in the industry's long-term sustainability. There are also more people in this country who agree that it is better to have reindeer with a high slaughter weight than to have many animals. The researchers see that optimism about the future in Norway is higher, and that more Norwegian reindeer herders are prepared to reduce their herds.
On the Norwegian side, only 76 of 481 registered reindeer owners responded to the 2022 survey. Participation in Sweden is also low, which limits the possibility of drawing clear conclusions.
This is Future Arctic Lives:
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- Goal: To establish how climate change and the loss of biodiversity affect the welfare and well-being of Arctic communities.
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- The spotlight is particularly focused on Inuit hunters and coastal fishermen in Greenland, Sámi reindeer herders in Northern Sweden and Norway, and coastal Sámi communities in Porsanger, Norway.
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- In these local communities, the population relies on small-scale agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting.
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- Global politics and national trends often focus on large-scale investments and developments.
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- In turn, this can hinder the ability of communities and indigenous groups to adapt.
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- The researchers at NTNU and Umeå University are surveying the situation for the Sámi reindeer herders.
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- By asking the same questions in 2005, 2007, and 2022, they have observed a clear change in attitudes.
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- The project aims to highlight both commonalities and local differences.
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- The knowledge can be used to design policies that facilitate climate change adaptation.
Reference:
Helgesen, Irmelin Slettemoen; Johannesen, Anne Borge; Bostedt, Goran; Sandorf, Erlend Dancke Climate change and reindeer herding - A bioeconomic model on the impact of climate change on harvesting profits for Saami reindeer herders in Norway and Sweden
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