Reindeer Blog

JOINT PRESS RELEASE by the Saami Council and the National Swedish Saami Association
2008-02-21
 
Saami areas in Sweden are currently experiencing an explosion in mining and windpower development. There has been an increase in both Scandinavian and foreign companies in prospecting, mining and windpower. Ironically, while many of these companies market themselves to investors based on principles of Corporate Social Responsibility, companies often fail to see the connection between the impacts of their activities and the rights of Saami people.
 
“The Saami Council and the National Swedish Saami Association are in dialogue with several companies, one of which is Blackstone Ventures Inc. This is a Canadian exploration company, who claim to respect the rights of indigenous people in Canada. At the same time, the company seems to have no problem with performing intrusive exploration activities in sensitive Saami reindeer herding areas in Swedish nature reserves”, says Mattias Åhrén, Head of Human Rights at the Saami Council.
 
The Saami Council and The National Swedish Saami Association (SSR) are demanding that companies and the Swedish state both take responsibility to ensure that Saami rights are protected before development projects – such as mining and windpower – go ahead.

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Mining activites across the Sapmi  - Norway, Sweden, Finland and Norway are intense at the moment driven by high demand and elevated commodity prices. New mines are planned, extensive prospecting is occurring and old mines are being reopened. Yesterday, NRK Sami TV  had a lengthy piece on the impact of mining activities in several areas in northern Sweden, that were directly impacting on reindeer husbandry and a press release (see below) has just been released by Sámiid Riikasearvi/Svenska Samernas Riksforbund protesting the activities of Canadian mining company Blackstone Ventures in the Vindelfjallens nature reserve, a story that was also covered in the Metro newspaper.

PRESSMEDDELANDE  Samebyar protesterar mot mineralprospektering inom Vindelfjällens naturreservat Det kanadensiska prospekteringsföretaget Blackstone Ventures Inc. söker efter brytvärda mineraler inom Vindelfjällens naturreservat. Nu protesterar de berörda samebyarna mot att bolaget letar malm inom deras kärnområden.

- Fjällområdet är hjärtat i våra marker, säger Tobias Jonsson, ordförande i Grans sameby. För oss är det helt oacceptabelt att det prospekteras efter malm i fjällområdet. Det är obegripligt hur det kan tillåtas att prospektering över huvud taget förekommer i känslig och orörd fjällmiljö.

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Reindeer from Sweden are invading reindeer herding districts in Norway as the ongoing disputes between herders in Norway and Sweden and the unresolved border issues continue, according to an article in Namdalsavisa, and it is a matter for concern for both reindeer herders and scientists. Concerns relate to the impact on the pastures and the difficulties that arise if reindeer mix. The problem is particulary severe in the Vestre Namdal reindeer herding district.

New hydropower projects, windmill parks and the construction of new houses and cabin put increasing pressure on the reindeer herders in Norway. The industry might vanish by year 2050 should the developments continue, a representative of the reindeer herders says.It is not climate changes, nor the high number of reindeers or the increasing motorized traffic which pose the biggest threat against the Norwegian reindeer herders. It is rather the big number of cabins built in the pasture areas, as well as the planned hydropower and wind power projects, head of the Norwegian Association of Reindeer Herders, Nils Henrik Sara, says to newspaper Aftenposten.

-We are being pushed out […] Our future looks gloomy and we do not have the necessary dialogue with the authorities, Mr Sara says.

He is supported by researcher Christian Nellemann from the United Nation Environmental Programme (UNEP), who says that the reindeer herding industry might disappear by 2050 should the current development continue.

–The only thing, which can save the Sàmi reindeer culture is state intervention and protection of the necessary land areas, he adds.

Lawyer Geir Haugen says to Aftenposten that Norway is committed by the ILO Convention on protection of indigenous peoples’ culture and industry and that the current development in the country therefore can be seen as a violation of international law.

Only this year about 1000 new cabins are planned built in northern Norway, of which half have got special permissions. In addition come 25 planned hydro power projects, 10-12 wind power projects, as well as mining projects.

Original Story in Barents Observer and Aftenposten 

(pic from Barents Observer) In a press release from Vancouver, Centrasia Mining Corp. announced that drilling has started on its 100% owned, Tsaga Platinum Group Metals (”PGM”) prospect on the Kola Peninsula, Russia - adjacent to Lovozero and in a region of reindeer husbandry. The Tsaga property covers an area of 1,970 square kilometres and is adjacent to the north border of Barrick Gold Corporation’s Federova Tundra PGM deposit and Consolidated Puma Minerals Corp.’s  East Pansky deposit, and Pana PGM’s North Reef PGM deposits.

February 6th is Sami National Day in all the countries where the Sami live and is a day for a pan Sami celebration of the Sami people. The day in Sweden was overshadowed for some by the crisis that persists in reindeer pastures - many reindeer herders have been forced to apply for aid to feed their reindeer after much pastures in the region were declared a disaster. According to a report in UPI, the Swedish Sametinget is reported as saying that the situation has not been this bad since 1936. Samebyarna flaggar för svältkatastrof bland renhjordarna även i år. Kravet är att sametinget får behålla 12 miljoner kronor som buffert för stödutfordring.Men regeringen har ännu inte givit något besked. LT Östersund

Aina har renskötseln i generna..Aina has reindeer husbandry in her genes. An article in Västerbottens Folkblad (Swedish) recently highlighted a 73 year old Aina Jonsson from the Rans sameby on whom a documentary is being made.  A younger woman Sofia Renfjäll spoke of the difficulties of herding with young families. In an article in the Norrländska Socialdemokraten  (”Voj, voj - här var det mycket renar”) covers a photo exhibition in Överkalix, highlighting Sixten “Sigge” Pokka, an 85 year old herder from the Ängeså sameby. There are several archival images on the website.

IGE Nordic, the daughter company of mining giant International Gold Exploration unveiled their plans for the former gold mine of Biedjovággi, 40 km West of Kautokeino. IGE Nordic visited Kautokeino last week having meetings with the municipality and reindeer herders from the  Ábborášša reindeer herding district in whose area the mine is to be redeveloped. In an interview with NRK Sami Radio, Frederic Bratt, IGE Nordic Director said,

Biedjovággi is one of our three highest priority projects

They could be up and running within months.  50 work places were spoken of, lasting 20 years, with estimates of three tonnes of gold available for mining. IGE were recently listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange and are active in reopening the Stekenjokk mine in Sweden (a Zinc and Copper Ore mine that operated between 1976-1988), which would have negative consequences for Vilhelmina Södra and Frostviken Norra Saami communities, according to Rebecca Lawrence of the Saami Council.

Henrik A. Sara, leader of the Ábborášša  reindeer herding district said in the interview

We don’t want mining…we are aleady pressed for space in our district

In a speech ‘Climate Change in a Polar Perspective’, in Beijing on 30th January, the Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said,

Firstly, Arctic climate change will alter the flora and fauna of the region. This will have serious consequences, not least for indigenous peoples. Traditional reindeer herding and the way of life of these peoples will be harder to sustain

You can read the full speech here (English).