| Summary: | Ever since the ice sheet retreated about 10,000 years ago wild reindeer have been an important resource in the initial substance economy and later in the more modern rural economy in Norway. Norway is currently the last country in Europe that has populations of this formerly so prevalent animal. Hence, Norway has a special responsibility to manage the wild reindeer population in a way that secures the future of this species. Despite this, we see that the habitats of wild reindeer are increasingly under pressure from human activities and interventions. As a result of being hunted by humans for thousands of years, wild reindeer have evolved to be very shy of humans. This combined with the fact that the wild reindeer are nomadic animals that require large areas where they can wander between seasonal pastures, makes the management of wild reindeer challenging in today's society. The present system for management involves a number of public and private actors who needs to collaborate in finding ways to combine different human interests with a future viable wild reindeer population. This study has it’s focus on the management of wild reindeer in the Dovrefjell mountain area in Southern Norway. This is a qualitative study involving interviews with a number of actors representing different perspectives within the reindeer management in the Dovrefjell area. I will explore the actors opinions, experiences and views related to the current wild reindeer management. Further, I investigate the actor's assessments of the DNT-cabin Snøheim, who after being closed for over 50 years was reopened in 2012. More specifically, I ask what impact do the actors expect this cabin and the activities associated with to have on the wild reindeer population in the area.
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