Search results for "Reindeer"
showing 10 items of 12 documents
Can learning from the past help to predict the future in the environmental impact assessment on reindeer husbandry?
2014
Transitions in herd management of semi-domesticated reindeer in northern Finland. 45
2008
In northern Finland, reindeer-herd management has experienced two major transitions: extensification of intensive herding, and development of supplementary/corral feeding in winter. The transistions were studied in six herding associations in different parts of the Finnish reindeer management area. It was suggested that intensive herding turns into more extensive forms as the reasons for intensive herding (predation, reindeer disappearing to foreign areas, protection of agricultural fields) gradually ceased to exist. The results of the study, based on interviews of elderly reindeer herders, were variable. In the three southern areas intensive herding changed to the free ranging system at th…
Can a snow structure model estimate snow characteristics relevant to reindeer husbandry?
2014
Snow affects foraging conditions of reindeer e.g. by increasing the energy expenditures for moving and digging work or, in contrast, by making access of arboreal lichen easier. Still the studies concentrating on the role of the snow pack structure on reindeer population dynamics and reindeer management are few. We aim to find out which of the snow characteristics are relevant for reindeer in the northern boreal zone according to the experiences of reindeer herders and is this relevance seen also in reproduction rate of reindeer in this area. We also aim to validate the ability of the snow model SNOWPACK to reliably estimate the relevant snow structure characteristics. We combined meteorolog…
Climate change and reindeer management in Finland : Co-analysis of practitioner knowledge and meteorological data for better adaptation
2020
We studied interannual variability and changes over time in selected climate indices in the reindeer management area (RMA) in northern Finland. We present together the knowledge possessed by reindeer herders with information from meteorological measurements over three decades. The practitioner knowledge was gathered via a survey questionnaire addressing herder observations of long-term changes (approximately during the past 30 years) in climatic conditions and their impacts on herding during the four seasons. A set of temperature-, precipitation- and snow-related indices relevant for herding within the RMA was derived from spatially interpolated daily meteorological data (1981–2010). Climat…
Land-use and climate related drivers of change in the reindeer management system in Finland: geography of perceptions
2021
Drivers of change in the reindeer management system are rather well-known. But when developing the gover-nance to support the traditional livelihoods, it is crucial to understand also practitioner perceptions. Systematic research on these is lacking. We analyzed the land-use and climate related drivers within the reindeer man-agement area (RMA) in Finland, and, using a perception geography approach, studied the herder perceptions towards these. We conducted an on-site questionnaire survey with herders from 51 herding districts. Factors directly affecting the welfare of reindeer were perceived as crucial by herders, for example basal icing affecting the forage availability, and land-use rela…
Setaria tundra, what do we know, what is still to be discovered?
2021
Over the past years, the nematode species from the Onchocercidae family, Setaria tundra, has expanded its range by thousands of kilometres from subpolar to subtropical climate zone. Its presence has been confirmed in seven new countries. The appearance of this parasite in many other European countries, especially central and southern ones, is highly probable. In recent years, its mass appearance has led to the numerous fall of reindeer in Fennoscandia, thus causing significant economic damage. There is also a growing risk of its gradation in Central Europe, which threatens overpopulated wild deer species and possibly farm animals, however there is no information if other than mosquitoes blo…
Experimental infection of the deer ked (Lipoptena cervi) has no negative effects on the physiology of the captive reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandu…
2011
The deer ked (Lipoptena cervi) is a haematophagous parasitic fly of cervids that spread to Finland in the early 1960's. Presently its northern distribution limit lies at approximately 65°N and it is gradually spreading northwards. In Finland the principal host species has been the moose (Alces alces), but the deer ked is about to establish contact with another potential host, the semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) causing possible threats to reindeer health and management. The aim of this study was to investigate if the deer ked would have an influence on the welfare of the reindeer. Eighteen adult reindeer were divided into three experimental groups: the control group …
Basal ice formation in snow cover in Northern Finland between 1948 and 2016
2018
Abstract Basal ice formation in the terrestrial snow cover is a common phenomenon in northern circumpolar areas, one having significant impacts on ecosystems, vegetation, animals and human activities. There is limited knowledge on the spatial and temporal occurrence of basal ice formation because of the sparse observation network and challenges involved in detecting formation events. We present a unique dataset on the annual extent of ice formation events in northern Finland between 1948 and 2016 based on reindeer herders’ descriptions of the cold season in their management reports. In extreme years, basal ice can form over wide geographical extents. In approximately half of the herding dis…
Climate change and reindeer management in Finland: Co-analysis of practitioner knowledge and meteorological data for better adaptation.
2020
Abstract We studied interannual variability and changes over time in selected climate indices in the reindeer management area (RMA) in northern Finland. We present together the knowledge possessed by reindeer herders with information from meteorological measurements over three decades. The practitioner knowledge was gathered via a survey questionnaire addressing herder observations of long-term changes (approximately during the past 30 years) in climatic conditions and their impacts on herding during the four seasons. A set of temperature-, precipitation- and snow-related indices relevant for herding within the RMA was derived from spatially interpolated daily meteorological data (1981–2010…
Coping with Difficult Weather and Snow Conditions : Reindeer herders’ views on climate change impacts and coping strategies
2016
Winter is a critical season for reindeer herding, with the amount and quality of snow being among the most important factors determining the condition of reindeer and the annual success of the livelihood. Our first aim was to model the future (2035–2064) snow conditions in northern Finland, especially the quantities related to ground ice and/or ice layers within the snow pack, exceptionally deep snow and late snow melt. Secondly, we studied the strategies by which herders cope with the impacts of difficult weather and snow conditions on herding by interviewing 21 herders. SNOWPACK simulations indicate that snow cover formation will be delayed by an average of 19 days and snow will melt 16 d…