They say tests on reindeer showed that the animal does respond to UV stimuli, unlike humans.

The ability might enable them to pick out food and predators in the “UV-rich” Arctic atmosphere, and to retain visibility in low light.

Details are published in the The Journal of Experimental Biology.

Seeing predators

UV light is invisible to humans. It has a wavelength which is shorter (and more energised) than “visible” light, ranging from 400 nanometres down to 10nm in wavelength.

The researchers first established that UV light was able to pass through the lens and cornea of the reindeer eye by firing light through a dissected sample. The tests showed that light down to a wavelength of about 350nm passed into the eye.

They then sought to prove that the animals could “see” the light, by testing the electrical response of the retina of anaesthetised reindeer to UV light.

“We used what is called an ERG (electroretinography), whereby we record the electrical response to light by the retina by putting a little piece of gold foil on the inside of the eyelid,” co-author Professor Glen Jeffery of University College London told BBC News.

The tests showed that photoreceptor cells or “cones” in the retina did respond to UV light.

“If you’re a bumblebee, you wouldn’t think much of what this animal is doing because it’s seeing in what’s called ‘near UV’ (about 320 to 400nm), but that’s still very high energy stuff.”

The researchers believe UV vision could enable the reindeer to distinguish food and predators in the “white-out” of the Arctic winter and the twilight of spring and autumn.

Lichen, on which the animal feeds, would appear black to reindeer eyes, they say, because it absorbs UV light. The animal’s traditional predator, wolves, would also appear darker against the snow, as their fur absorbs UV light.

Urine in the snow would also be more discernable in UV vision, which might alert reindeer to the scent of predators or other reindeer.

Neither did the animal appear to suffer any damage as a result of seeing in UV, say the researchers, or suffer the “snow blindness” humans can experience in the UV-rich Arctic environment.

Polar vision

Professor Lars Chittka of Queen Mary University London, who has explored the UV capabilities of bees, said the study showed what we call the “visible” spectrum did not apply to most of the animal kingdom.

“It’s further evidence that UV sensitivity across animals is the rule rather than the exception, and that humans and some other mammals are actually a minority in not having UV sensitivity,” he said.

Professor Chittka was not surprised the UV light appeared to do no damage to the reindeer retina. He said the tests suggested the eye would only admit lower-frequency UV light (“UV-A light”) rather than more damaging higher-frequency light (“UV-B”).

Further modelling and behavioural tests would also be needed to verify that reindeer’s apparent capacity to detect UV light really did result in “better detection of predators and arctic lichens”, he said.

The same research team which conducted the reindeer tests will soon repeat the same experiments on seals to see whether they can see into the UV region. Professor Jeffery believes many Arctic animals are likely to have the capacity.

“There’s no evidence that Arctic foxes or polar bears suffer from snow blindness, so I bet you that most of the Arctic animals up there are seeing into UV.”

Indistry Minister of Norway Trond Giske With Minerals Map of Northern Scandinavia. His governement has just announced a huge increase in funding to support the mining industry - Source adressa.no

So said, the Minister for Industry of Norway (Labour Party) while announcing a big increase in funding for mining exploration in the country in a story that appeared in Adressa.no

The Norwegian Geological Survey (NGU) believes there is a vast wealth of minerals and ore under the soil just waiting to be exploiting – only what holds them back is insufficient knowledge. That will soon change thanks to the Norwegian government announcing an extra 100 million NOK (ca. 17M USD)) over four years to searching for gold and other precious metals, mainly in northern Norway.

The first 25 million (4.3M USD) will come in next year’s budget, which is presented on Tuesday. This will represent a doubling of the Geological Survey currently receive for such work.

Giske acknowledged that as most of the deposits are in Northern Norway, this may lead to conflict with reindeer herders, but insisted that any conflict between reindeer herding and mining was “fully manageable”

Not according to Nils Henrik Sara, the leader of the Sami Reindeer Herders Association of Norway(NRL), in a reaction in NRK Sami Radio,

“It’s not as simple as the industry minister told Adresseavisen.  But of course for their enforcement system, it might be “manageable” because they do not account for what the reindeer industry says, and thus it is easy for them to get the reindeer industry to follow their terms “

The NRL leader clearly stated that their organization is against all mining in areas used by reindeer husbandry.

“NRL is against all who have an intention to destroy the industry’s reindeer pastures.  Mining destroys grazing for reindeer, and it can not be accepted by NRL”

“Let the treasure hunt begin” the Minister was quoted as saying in the news report…

Both Finnmark society and the Sami community is entirely dependent on new activity. If one is to preserve the culture and language we are going to have to have new jobs for the youth in the Sami villages. You can not save the Sami culture simply by having Sami kindergarten at Tøyen in Oslo and courses in communities with cafe lattes, it has to happen here,

You can read the rest of the article here on the Reindeer Portal

Reindeer ferry season is about to begin this year on April 20th from Balnes in Balsfjord and some 15,000 reindeer from 20 reindeer herding districts will make the ferry ride by May 9th.  National Geographic featured a short article on this unusual form of transport in collaboration with the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry which you can read here.

Source: LMD

“Over the past three years, I’ve had to give some hay to my 800 reindeer during the coldest months. It’s more expensive and it gives me more work,” said Jan Egil Trasti, a reindeer herder from the native Sami people.

The reason: the lichen his animals graze on has become tougher to find as winter temperatures rise. The snow thaws, and along with rain, then freezes anew — covering the ground in layers impervious to all but the most tenacious reindeer.

Grazing land is also disappearing under the weight of industry as buildings, pipelines, roads and other infrastructure increasingly dot old pastures.

Trasti’s nomadic ancestors have raised these beasts for hundreds of years. His grandfather worked the Russian tundra before moving to the Norwegian coast.

“I have it in my blood. I hope one of my sons will take over,” the herder said. He has, though, a hint of doubt in his eyes, his meagre earnings well below the average Norwegian salary.

Only a minority of Sami — some 3,000 — make their living raising and herding in Norway, home to around 240,000 reindeer.

In this month of November, just weeks ahead of a key UN climate summit in Denmark, snow has not yet blanketed the flora in the Far North.

Indeed temperatures in this region near the Barents Sea are unseasonably mild, above zero degrees Celsius.

In the past, when the snows have come, they have generally fallen on dry ground, whereas now they fall on lichen engorged with water.

Trasti is no scientist, and environmental experts hesitate to link specific weather events to long-term climate change, but trends over the last several decades have clearly shown the Arctic hit hard by global warming.

In September, a study in the journal Science reported dramatic effects on animals in the Arctic due to a one-degree Celsius warming over the past 150 years.

The Arctic tends to warm three times faster than elsewhere in the Northern Hemisphere because of a phenomenon called Arctic amplification — a separate study in the same journal noted that summer temperatures were some 1.4 degrees Celsius warmer than they should have been by the year 2000.

Jonathan Colman, specialist in “reindeer ecology” at the University of Oslo, explained that sometimes “there’s wet ice in the lichen.”

“It gets into their stomachs and they can’t digest the food.”

To avoid losing precious livestock, the Sami are forced to move reindeer to drier ground, meaning it is more important than ever to respect the tradition of driving herds across the entire north of the nation.

An animal can sell for 240 euros (359 dollars), and its meat for around seven euros a kilogramme (10.46 dollars per 2.2 pounds).

Trasti can make extra money selling the hides or antlers to tourists, and also gets compensation if his animals are killed by predators.

Norwegian Sami follow the herd with vehicles, but their cousins in Russia still accompany the animals with sleds, camping as they go.

But the drive, and the ability to follow the reindeer, has been increasingly hampered by industrialisation.

An iron ore mine which was closed down 15 years ago has re-opened nearby, while elsewhere liquid gas terminals, wind farms and roads are dotted across, or separate, traditional pastures.

The International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry has expressed regret that “the herders have only a marginal influence on the development of their own traditional lands.”

That’s despite a law that “Norway was built on the territory of two people, the Sami and the Norwegians,” said Christina Henriksen, a Sami who coordinates an aid programme for native peoples in the Arctic region.

“For me, being a Sami means herding reindeer,” said Trasti, who does not speak his native language.

“My parents weren’t allowed to speak Sami at school in the 60′s,” he said, and out of guilt, they “didn’t teach us the language.”

For the moment though, reindeer numbers are holding up under the strain of global warming, but that’s a fact Colman puts down to their very resilience.

“If reindeer weren’t as adaptable, there wouldn’t be any left,” he said.

The background to the negotiations is that the 1972 Reindeer Grazing Convention expired in 2005 and had to be replaced with a new one. The new Convention contains seven chapters with 34 articles in which the main provisions of reindeer herding over the border are stated.

The Convention will after the signing be sent to concerned parties for a referral and enters into force once it is ratified by both countries, which requires a decision of the Parliaments in both Sweden and Norway. The Convention shall be in force for 30 years, with renewal of ten-year periods unless terminated.

(www.regeringen.se)

Arbeiderpartiet: “Labor Party’s vision for the reindeer policy based on security for the reindeer herding Saami community, and that those who are engaged in reindeer will be able to support himself by it. Reindeer herding is an industry that is strongly linked to the Sami culture. In many parts of the country are reindeer herders considered the very backbone and the identity of the Sami culture. The reindeer will also in future be an essential part of Sami industry structure. This means that the community takes responsibility to protect grazing land from encroachment that destroys the basis for the reindeer’s existence. “

Árja: “In consultation and through cooperation with reindeer herding (in Sami called verddevuohta) work to find solutions that promote all forms of Sami industries and combined use as equal rights holders.

• Working on how the Reindeer Act’s provisions for multi-use conflicts should be changed so that they better take into account others than just reindeer herding Sami rights holders.
• Working to initiate research on how the reindeer herding legislation through the ages has changed in the Sami society, and deprived some groups Sami their rights to own reindeer. “

Høyre: “Reindeer husbandry is a special Sami industry that is regulated by separate legislation. We will continue to develop reindeer herding and speed up work on a comprehensive revision of the Reindeer Husbandry Act. In this context, Høyre consider changing its departmental affiliation, and move reindeer management from the agriculture ministry to another industrial ministry. By the revision of the Reindeer Act will allow Høyre the tools to change the necessary regulations, so that additional sanctions measures and retrenchment from the government side would not be necessary.

Flytttsamelista. This party, which represents migratory Sami reindeer herders, unsurprisingly has the most detailed programme for reindeer husbandry. You can download it here: 1.6754604!Flyttsamelista

Fremskrittspartiet: “Managing the reindeer as other business activities. The industry should be exercised as freely as possible, and public responsibility should be limited to a reasonable stewardship of public grazing lands.”

Norske Samers Riksforbund: “NSR will strengthen and develop primary industries, agriculture, herding, fishing, nature-based industries and duodji, and combinations thereof. This will be done through the input to the central negotiations in agriculture and herding, and the priorities of the Sami Parliament to the industry, as well as value added application for the combination of industries. “

NSR will work in the Sami Parliament that:

• provisions of the Reindeer Husbandry Act and the Planning and Building Act be coordinated to strengthen herding influence in community planning
• reindeer herding land conservation is strengthened
• increase knowledge and understanding of the reindeer herding population
• Sami Parliament’s role in securing the future of reindeer husbandry is strengthened by economic and administrative issues “

Samenes Folkeforbund: “The Sami People’s Association will work for a reindeer industry that is in balance with nature. A small part of the Sami people in the country are involved in reindeer herding, and this is an industry that is very heavy on land in some areas. The Sami Parliament needs to be given greater decision-making authority within the reindeer herding. The Reindeer herding industry utilizes resources that would otherwise not be exploited by others and must be adapted to today’s resource base. Coordination with other sectors is important for the future of reindeer husbandry. “

Senterpartiet: “The Center  Party aims to develop the primary industries within nature’s carrying capacity so that new generations are given the opportunity for income and food ensured that recruitment for the future. Reindeer herding has an important significance for strengthening and preservation of the Sami language and culture. Women and youth must be given the right to an independent economic basis for the reindeer herders.
The Center  Party will work on:
- The number of reindeer be adjusted for grazing
- That State inspectors must gain herding skills
- That the elderly Requirements for reindeer herding must be maintained and given greater weight
- That the Saami Parliament should have greater influence during the consultations associated with the development of reindeer herding rights policy
- Encourage the processing of products
- Women and young people ensured their own industrial base and a foothold in the industry
- That welfare schemes in reindeer husbandry must be developed
- The tax and fee arrangements must be compared with other primary industries
- Work for it to be easier to exploit the raw materials from reindeer “

Ofelaš: “Ofelaš believes that the Sami Parliament is not ready to manage reindeer herding. The Sami Parliament does not have enough resources to take over the management of reindeer herding.
Ofelaš will work:
• that reindeer herding is not subject to the Saami Parliament’s administration
• work on the issue of practicing reindeer husbandry in traditional family areas.
• on the issue of burden of proof on loss of reindeer to predation.

Nordkalottfolket: “Reindeer industry has, as the only Sami wilderness activities, been given strong protection and good framework conditions through their own legislation. This is important and appropriate. However, some parts of the legislation are out of balance with the rest of Sami business, and substantially hinder the development of other business and development. At the same time it is weak in relation to legal protection within the reindeer herding. We do not know today what consequences the Samerettsutvalget II will be bring as changes in reindeer herding.

Other wilderness industries must be given the same framework. Other Sami and Norwegian businesses in the northern areas are also important to maintain the settlement areas. A sustainable industrial development must be based on innovation and modernization, with environmental, economic and social conditions as supporting elements. “

Hans Erik Sandvik, a herder from this district said that he hoped that it would help improve the documentation of predators killing reindeer in the district.

We assume that about 40-50 percent of the calves are taken by predators…but it is almost impossible to document losses. We find between 50-80 carcasses a year, but most, especially calves are difficult to find. Most of our work goes towards looking for carcasses

“It seems that it is cheaper for the NSB to pay for the animals than to put up fencing along the line”

The NSB press officer stated that

If we are notified of a specific local area, we tend to slacken the pace. But there are limits to how long stretches we should do it. That said, we are sorry for what happened, but I can not see that we could have done something different in this case

Elsewhere, southern Sami reindeer herders are asking why they are not permitted to use the excellent lichen pastures that have been placed off limits to reindeer in their area. Sami herders were removed from the area in 1800.  Reindeer herder Even Danielsen said,

This is incredibly good reindeer country, with good lichen, grass and a stable winter climate,  It is tragic that reindeer husbandry in the Røros region can not exploit the areas here that were traditional reindeer pastures,

The three reindeer districts that want to use their old pasture areas is Saantie-Essand, Gåebbrie-Riasten/Hylling and Svahke-Elgå reindeer districts. Herders received scientific backing for their claims too.

There is a great loss for Southern Sámi reindeer and the mountain
regions that the best reindeer pasture areas in the northern part of
Hedemark not in use, It is certainly not ecological to leave them unused.  It would
be an advantage if the reindeer were grazing a little, so it woud gow better instead of being left to rot in the ground

stated Ansgaar Kosmo, a well known lichen researcher in Norway.

(Photo J.E. Kalvemo, NRK) The Bessaker wind power station in the Fosen region in the southernmost parts of reindeer husbandry in Norway has just opened and was visited by reindeer herders from Norway and Sweden (in Jamtland and Trondelag) who fear the impact that it will have (there are plans for large expansion) on reindeer and loss of pastures. There is also wind power development on the Swedish side of the border and reindeer herders are feeling squeezed according to reindeer herder Arvid Jaama on the Norwegian side. Reindeer Herder on the Swedish side Sture Åhren said to NRK Sami Radio,

If this wind power development continues on the Norwegian and Swedish side of the border, I would warn young people to stay away from reindeer herding.