Land-use and climate related drivers of change in the reindeer management system in Finland: geography of perceptions

• Main Authors: Rasmus, S., Wallen, H., Turunen, M., Landauer, M., Tahkola, J., Jokinen, M., Laaksonen, S.
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier 2021
• Subjects: reindeer husbandry
• Online Access: http://pure.iiasa.ac.at/id/eprint/17303/; http://pure.iiasa.ac.at/id/eprint/17303/1/1-s2.0-S014362282100117X-main.pdf

Drivers of change in the reindeer management system in Finland are well-known, but herder perceptions on these have so far not been studied in detail. We conducted an on-site questionnaire survey focused on factors affecting reindeer welfare with herders from 51 herding districts. We found that perceptions of herders on biophysical factors were rather homogeneous; the differences in perceptions on land-use related factors could be explained by spatial variation in land use within the reindeer management area. We identified cumulative land-use related hotspots of negative perceptions. Pasture losses cause persistent pressure on reindeer husbandry while climatic effects are more stochastic. Cumulative effects limit the climate adaptation capacity of reindeer husbandry. In land-use planning, the needs and perceptions of various land users should be understood in order to be able to generate synergies, negotiate difficult trade-offs and avoid conflicts. Our approach could be utilized in the co-planning of the northern land-use and more widely in the co-management of natural resources.