Reindeer Blog

Reindeer herders feel helpless against the influx of mineral giants into their pastures, according to today’s report on Norwegian Sámi Radio. One of the largest companies in the world, with over 100,000 emplyees, Anglo American is meeting with the Sámi Parliament today, where their representatives claimed that reindeer husbandry is ‘Number One‘, though their representatives were unclear as to what that might mean should reindeer husbandry object to their plans for drilling on winter pastures. Other companies active in Finnmark include Nordic Mining ASA, International Gold Exploration (who note the continued potential for development of Biedjovaggi on their website and Store Norske Gull AS.

UPI writes that Gazprom plan to ramp up their production considerably, but that Yamal will not be developed until 2010, just as it has been reported that Russian oil and gas companies continue to net huge profits from exports. While Gazprom earlier this year announced that 2006 net profits totalled 343.68 billion RUB (10.3 billion EUR), the state-owned Rosneft now informs that 2006 net profits totalled 3.07 billion EUR. Lukoil is reported to have had a 1.64 billion EUR profit.

Издания на английском и русском языке Бюллетеня ANSIPRA № 16 сейчас опубликованы на нашем веб-сайте. Печатные копии изданий на русском языке распространяются среди всех зарегистрированных участников сети в России.

The English and Russian language editions of ANSIPRA (Arctic Network for the Support of the Indigenous Peoples of the Russian Arctic) Bulletin No.16 can now be downloaded from our website. Printed copies of the Russian language edition are distributed to all registered network contacts in the Russian Federation.

The current issue of Nature magazine reports that the main funding agency for
health research in Canada (Canadian Institutes of Health Research) has adopted ethical guidelines for studies involving aboriginal people in Canada. “Consent for projects must be obtained from the community involved, as well as from individuals, biological samples should be considered on loan to the researcher, and the community should have the opportunity to review the conclusions drawn from the data…Although the recommendations are not legally binding, health researchers and institutions funded by the CIHR will be required to follow them.”, writes Nature journalist Helen Hoag.

The Vice Governor of the Yamal Nenets Autonmous Okrug, Andrey Kugarevsky and a group of advisors, business people and Nenets representatives were in Kautokeino this weekend as part of their fact finding visit through Finland and Norway, which will culminated in a visit to the Gas development Snøhvit in Hammerfest. Pictures and story here. The Yamal Peninsula is of great interest to arctic reindeer husbandry as it home to the largest area of reindeer husbandry, practiced by Nenets and is aso home to some of the largest gas reserves in the Arctic which Gazprom hope to develop in the coming years. The Vice Governor and his delegation were especially interested in the local slaughter house, prices for reindeer meat in the local store and issues related to subsidies in reindeer husbandry in Norway.

In Murmansk, the regional administration would appear to be taking a hard line against indigenous peoples generally and reindeer husbandry specifically, according to recent media reports. A few weeks back, Murmansk Governor Yuri Yevdokimov is reported to have said that indigenous groups in Russia are hostile towards development. Yesterday’s Rusbalt Nord stated that the administration is preparing a bill according to which allocations to reindeer herders in the region will be redistributed to other farming industries. The regional reindeer industry now fears for its survival. You can read the original article in Russian here.

It is not only billionaires who are interested in developing an export market for reindeer meat. ‘Yamal Deer’ are hoping to export reindeer meat to Germany this year according to reports, though one wonders how realistic it might be. In Norway, the implementation of the proposed new Reindeer Husbandry law has been delayed. This law will replace the 1978 reindeer husbandry law. Under the proposed new law, more aspects of reindeer husbandry management will be transferred to the siida system. The siida is a collective, often family based working group within Sámi reindeer husbandry. Meanwhile, in Tromsø, a consultancy firm employed by the city has proposed a number of areas for the development of a new target range for gun and sports enthusiasts most of which are not acceptable to reindeer husbandry as they will impinge on already reduced pastures.

Swedish Sámi reindeer herders are considering taking action against the Norwegian authorities if they continue to prevent their herds from using pastures on the Norwegian side of the border. Last week, Norwegian authorities drove reindeer back across the border claiming that the reindeer ‘did not have a permit’, a continuation of a long running dispute between herder and authorities on both sides of the border over grazing rights. Administration figures claim it can be solved before the summer…

Multibillionaire Roman Abramovich and his interest in reindeer husbandry received more coverage in the Finnish media regarding his visit to Lapin Liha, Rovaniemi. Despite his wealth, he has not yet managed to convince the EU to allow imports of reindeer meat from Chukotka…Meanwhile, in Hammerfest, the hottest topic among residents there - reindeer devouring summer gardens and flowers - was supposed to solved last year by a pricey 12 km fence around the town. Like most fences, it hasn’t worked and the reindeer (which spend the winters in Kautokeino) are back.

Wonder what the IPCC (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) report in Bangkok was all about? The following links are useful: Climate panel reaches consensus on reducing harmful emissions from the International Herald Tribune. Climate change ‘can be tackled’ from the BBC and the IPCC summary for policy makers (pdf). A good backgrounder is the BBC Climate Change Portal.