Reindeer Blog

In northern Norway, each year, reindeer migrate from the interior to the coast in an ancient movement coupling animals and people. In contemporary times, with dramatically increased settlement and development on the coast this has meant that summer brings stories of conflict between reindeer husbandry and cabin dwellers, farmers, mining interests, municipalities and others. Unfortunately, this has meant that reindeer husbandry only gets into the national and regional media with stories of ‘conflict’. The last few weeks have been no different.

Military operations in the Mauken reindeer herding district’s conflict with the military in their region (about which a documentary has been made in 2006) is in the media again,

Reindeer herders are attempting to prevent a golf course development in Bardu in Troms and Nils M. Utsi, the head of Reindeer Herding District No. 22 has stated in the media that he believes that mining plans in the Kvalsund region are attempting to squeeze out reindeer husbandry. Metallica Mining, wants to mine 7 million tonnes of ore (copper) in their area with the support of the local municipality that claims 50-100 jobs will be created.

War games in the North were in the news in Scandinavia this last week, when Operation Loyal Arrow took place between June 8-18. 800-900 exercise participants from Germany, Finland, the United Kingdom, Italy, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Sweden, Turkey and the United States as well as NATO’s airborne early warning component participated. Two issues were of concern for Sami, reindeer herders and others – first the scenario: The exercises are based on a fictional conflict in “Lapistan,” a revolutionary, oil-rich dictatorship that has attacked a neighboring country.

The mission is to enforce a UN resolution, using mainly air forces based near Sweden’s largest northern city, Luleå. The exercise spans a massive land area stretching from Östersund in southern Lapland to the Norwegian border, near the Barents Sea.

Besides the fact that ‘Lapp’ denotes a derogatory term for the regions indigenous people, the Sami, military excercises over reindeer calving grounds is a serious matter of concern for reindeer herders.

Continue reading Reindeer, War Games and ‘Lapistan’

Время от времени перепадающие дожди и высокая температура воздуха на территории Якутии способствуют усиленному размножению кровососущих насекомых, от которых страдают олени, сообщает ИА “Метеоновости”.
Такие погодные условия, считают синоптики, здесь устроил циклон. В его теплой части оказалась большая часть территории республики, температура вплоть до полярного круга была 26..32 градуса, на юго-западе до 34 градусов.
Не покинет циклон Якутию и в ближайшие дни, причем по-прежнему на большей части тепло.

Источник: http://www.meteonovosti.ru/index.php?index=1&ts=090616134049

(Source: BarentsObserver) Russian energy major Gazprom will postpone the launch of the Bovanenkovo field in Yamal until 2012, a high-ranking company representative confirmed today.

Aleksandr Ananenkov, Deputy Chairman of the company’s Management Committee today said that the launch of the field will be postponed from 2011 as originally planned to 2012. The reason is the company’s need to save costs, RIA Novosti reports. Continue reading GAZPROM Postpones Bovanenkovo Development on Yamal

Reindeer and caribou numbers worldwide: red denotes herds in decline, green indicates those on the increase and dark grey means no data is available. Reindeer and caribou do not range in areas coloured light grey

Reindeer and caribou numbers are plummeting around the world.

The first global review of their status has found that populations are declining almost everywhere they live, from Alaska and Canada, to Greenland, Scandinavia and Russia.

The iconic deer is vital to indigenous peoples around the circumpolar north.

Yet it is increasingly difficult for the deer to survive in a world warmed by climate change and altered by industrial development, say scientists.

Reindeer and caribou belong to the same species, Rangifer tarandus.

Caribou live in Canada, Alaska and Greenland; while reindeer live in Russia, Norway, Sweden and Finland.

Worldwide, seven sub-species are recognised. Each are genetically, morphologically and behaviourally a little different, though capable of interbreeding with one another. Continue reading Reindeer herds in global decline (BBC)

Строительство газопровода “Бованенково-Ухта” (заказчик ЗАО “Ямалгазинвест”), начатое в 2008 году на территории Республики Коми, сопровождается грубейшими нарушениями законодательства, и не только экологическими. Такие претензии строителям газопровода выдвигает местная общественность и даже работники предприятия, сообщает БНКоми. Continue reading Строительство газопровода “Бованенково-Ухта” ведется с нарушениями законодательства (Коми)

Reindeer meat from Finnish Lapland is now recognized in the EU as a product with a high level of quality and as a traditional product. This means that reindeer meat from Lapland in Finland was added to the regulation of Parma ham and other similar products, among which is a protected designation of origin (PDO). 
The label may now be applied to reindeer meat, which is produced in the Finnish reindeer management area on reindeer born and bred in that region. The label requires that the reindeer meat is also cut, and packaged in the Finnish reindeer management area. Finnish reindeer husbandry produces 2-2,5 million kilos annually. This change in regulation may improve the marketing and sales of reindeer meat internationally and ease conditions for the production and sale  of products for reindeer herders.

You can read the COUNCIL REGULATION (EC) No 510/2006. ‘LAPIN PORON LIHA’ EC No: FI/PDO/005/0352/15.07.2004, PDO ( X ) PGI ( ) here on the Reindeer Portal Document Archive