Page 13 - Green knowledge 2025

Photo: Erlend Winje
Sámi reindeer herding – climate & land use
It is widely agreed that Sámi reindeer husbandry requires protection. Nevertheless,
reindeer herders must often fight to protect the grazing resources of their animals, and
thereby to safeguard their own cultural heritage, identity and future.
Reindeer herders follow the animals on their sea-
sonal migrations throughout the year – from winter
pastures to calving areas, to summer pastures and
back again to winter grazing. They are in constant
movement along traditional migration routes that
are well known to both the reindeer and the herders,
crossing municipal and county boundaries, and
sometimes national borders.
However, modern reindeer husbandry faces pres-
sures from private, municipal and national land-use
measures, predators, outdoor recreation, tourism, as
well as climate-related challenges that require new
knowledge and adaptation.
“Many people in the reindeer husbandry sector want
to meet to discuss key issues such as climate and
land-use conflicts. The Nordic Reindeer Husbandry
Conference has become an important meeting place
for discussing the challenges in the sector,” says Dr
Gabriela Wagner.
“Much of our research is based on close collaboration
with reindeer herders, and some projects are initi-
ated directly by them,” says Dr Svein Morten Eilert-
sen.
One example is herders who operate across several
municipalities, where it can be very demanding to
stay updated on all ongoing planning processes.
Many herders experience that their input is given
only limited consideration.
NIBIO has examined how reindeer husbandry has
been involved in various assessment processes
related to planned land-use interventions in grazing
areas. The result is a proposed methodology for
assessing impacts on reindeer husbandry.
Purpose: Collaboration: Funding: Contact: NIBIO has developed a proposed new methodology for assessing the impacts on
reindeer husbandry in plans involving land-use interventions in reindeer grazing areas.
Active reindeer herders, the land-use service of the Norwegian Sámi Reindeer Herders’
Association, Sweco, Norconsult, the County Governors of Nordland and Trøndelag, and
the Norwegian Public Roads Administration
Ministry of Agriculture and Food
Research Scientist Gabriela Wagner, Division of Forest and Forest Resources.
Email: gabriela.wagner@nibio.no | Telephone: +47 950 06 940.
Research Scientist Svein Eilertsen, Division of Forest and Forest Resources.
Email: svein.eilertsen@nibio.no | Telephone: +47 934 99 412.
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