Reindeer Herders Research Articles

Förutsättningar och utmaningar för renskötseln i Norge, Sverige och Finland

This report is based on the book "Reindeer Husbandry and Global Environmental Change - pastoralism in Fennoscandia". The book, which was published in 2022, brings together previous and new research compiled within a Nordic collaboration project, ReiGN (Reindeer husbandry in a Globalizing North), funded by NordForsk during the years 2016 – 2021. Grants from NordForsk also funded this report. The report, published in Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish and North Sámi, summarizes some of the main results from the book. In nine chapters it describes how reindeer herding is affected by climate change, the continuous loss of reindeer grazing land and other external factors that together represent large challenges for reindeer, reindeer herders and the reindeer herding community as a whole. The report contains perspectives from many different research areas. Each chapter in the report has one or more references and links to chapters in the above mentioned book, which is freely available online (https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003118565). The chapters in the report cover a range of different topics, like present and historical reindeer herding (Chapter 1), the genetic background of the semi-domesticated reindeer (Chapter 2), how reindeer ranges are used and how they are affected by climate change and expanding industrial development (Chapter 3), possibilities for adaptation to a warmer climate (Chapter 4), impact of large predators (Chapter 5), external and internal governance (Chapter 6), reindeer herding as subsistence (Chapter 7), the role of supplementary feeding (Chapter 8), and reindeer health and diseases in a climate perspective (Chapter 9). The report ends with some reflections over the present situation and future perspectives for reindeer herding. The report is aimed at herders and managers, as well as other land users, authorities and policymakers who deal with natural resource management, climate and environmental issues or other matters related to reindeer herding and the use of land and water within the reindeer herding area. Rangifer Report No 16 is the Swedish version of the report. Reports in Norwegian, Finnish and North Sámi are published as following numbers of Rangifer Report.

Domestic Reindeer Herding in Arctic Regions of Yakutia in Second Half of 1990s: Experience of Decision-Making on Socio-Economic Issues in Industry

The experience ofsolving social and economic problems related to domestic reindeer herding in the Arctic regions of Yakutia during the early post-Soviet period is being studied. Attention is given to the adoption of the first program document in the republic— Resolution No. 521, dedicated to comprehensive support for traditional industries and social protection of workers in the Arctic regions. Archive documents on the activities of the relevant ministry in developing recommendations on wage payment in reindeer herding, adopting new decisions on one-time payments to reindeer herders and tent workers, and statistical data on some general economic indicators in reindeer herding are presented. The approach to calculating labor standards for reindeer herders and attempts at their social protection through professional tariffication of wage payment are presented in detail. Social directions included officially in the program for the development of domestic reindeer herding are highlighted. At the local level, it is shown that representatives of the relevant ministry responsible for managing traditional industries could not always rely on a positive experience in making decisions on socio-economic development of domestic reindeer herding as a leading traditional occupation of indigenous people, but they were fully aware of the real social situation of workers in the industry.

노르웨이 사미족의 ‘기후정의’ 실현 가능성에 관한 소고

Sámi Reindeer herders in Trøndelag county of Norway insist that Fosen Vind project is in operation taking up the grazing land for their reindeers posing a threat to their land for living. They maintain that it is in violation of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples stipulated in the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. The Norwegian Fosen Vind project exemplifies a major case that local people in certain region are likely to get exposed to the risk of ‘Climate Justice’ by running renewable energy plant or the accompanying installations or facilities.
 Strengthening the authority of Norwegian municipalities regarding installation of wind power generation and legal guarantee of the veto, and need for cooperation among the municipalities and the Sámi through implementation of the Zoning Plan, and arranging dialogue window of consultative group consisting of the representatives of operators of the wind power plant and the local people can be the feasible options to take into consideration to materialize the ‘Climate Justice’ for the local people around the wind power plant or the relevant installations However, before any of the options, it is significantly important that the Zoning Plan that comprehends the permit procedure for land use should be effectively put in place. And for that purpose, legal guarantee for land ownership of people residing around the area of installation of wind power plant and the relevant legal review of it and cementing clarity of the ownership should become safety for the likely conflicting case of ‘Climate Justice’ even involving the other renewable energy plants.

Biometric Characteristics of Live Weight in Reindeer Populations of the Eastern Arctic and Subarctic

Purpose: the study of biometric data on live weight and their significance for artificial selection in the population of the northern deer (Rangifertarandus L.) ..Materials and methods. Information was used from annual reports of reindeer herding of the North of the Far East. The methods of variation statistics that are generally accepted in zootechnical research were applied. Extreme (LIM) and average values (M) of the sign, trust boundaries of the general average (M ± t ∙ m), the average square deviation (σ), the coefficient of variation (CV), the boundaries of the extreme class variation (M ± 2σ) are determined. Associations of a live mass of sexual age groups in the population of the northern deer were established by calculating the correlation coefficients (R) and rectilinear regression (B).Results. The consolidated correlation coefficient (RSV), reflecting the level of direct linear connection of the live weight of calves with a mass of uterus and manufacturers, was ≈ 0.7, which relates to the degree of close dependence. Using the regression equation (y = a+bx) calculated the predicted average size of the live weight of young animals in the average live weight of the importance. The data allow you to establish the threshold of selection of tribal animals in order to obtain offspring with a given value of the sign. In the study, the impact on the live mass of the season, year, range, and farms is leveled. It was established that throughout the generations a living mass is a stable phenotypic sign. Biometric data on live weight, as a quantitative attitude, indirectly reflect the state and movement of group genetic information in the populations of deer of the Far North-East of Russia.

A microregional reindeer herding landscape in Yamal: patterns and dynamics of movements

Human and animal mobility lies at the core of any nomadic pastoralist system. Anthropological studies of migratory patterns of mobile pastoralists’ movements have revealed two universal sets of factors—ecological and non-ecological—that influence such movements differently. Our study focuses on the nomadic movement of the Yamal Nenets reindeer herders in the Russian Arctic using a microregional approach to study the indigenous communities on a large scale. The Nenets households of the Mordyyakha microregion in the northwest of the Yamal Peninsula have changed winter pasture sites several times over the past 15–20 years, while maintaining a stable summer route. Based on fieldwork among these people, we analyse how environmental and non-environmental factors influence the dynamics of their summer and winter meridional nomadic routes. We argue that long-term changes in their winter mobility are mainly related to the quality of pastures. Changing winter sites is a strategy that relates to ecological factors and still remains relevant for the households migrating via the meridional pastoral corridors of Yamal. In contrast, changing summer areas, as a rule, occurs in response to developing industry and, thus, relates to non-ecological factors.

Особенности организации изгородного содержания северных оленей в лесной зоне Тюменского Севера

Abstract. The purpose of the research is based on the analysis of historical and modern experience of hedge keeping of reindeer, to determine the possibilities and tasks of creating reindeer farms in the forest zone of the Tyumen North. Methods. During the study historical, expert and comparative analysis, structural analysis, monitoring, analogy, generalization were used. Results. The hedge keeping of reindeer in the Subarctic regions has been used for about a hundred years, but today it requires a new conceptual approach to the design of farms in the forest zone. Almost 700,000 domestic reindeer are grazed in the Tyumen region are the largest population in the Arctic and Subarctic. The pastures of the tundra zone are mainly used for grazing deer – 92% of the herds are located here in the summer. Due to the excess of the project reindeer capacity, pastures in the Yamal-Nenets Autonomous District have been in a state of long-term overgrazing for the last 30 years and require a reduction in pastoral load. One of the ways to optimize the tundra grazing of deer is to transfer some of the animals to free forest pastures. Since 2019 In the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District, a production experiment is being conducted on year-round grazing of reindeer herds in a forest area using hedges. A monitoring study of two hedge farms in the forest zone of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District was conducted. The implementation of projects to create hedge farms for reindeer in the forest zone of the Tyumen North will not only relieve tundra pastures, but also solve a number of socio-economic, environmental, technological issues in the territories of traditional nature management in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous District and KhMAO-Yugra. The scientific novelty of the work lies in a comprehensive approach to the tasks and goals of designing forest farms for hedging reindeer, which includes not only the technological features of the projects, but also their social significance for the indigenous small population of the North.

Climate change adaptation stories: Co-creating climate services with reindeer herders in Finland

Reindeer husbandry in the Arctic region is strongly affected by the local climate. Reindeer herders are used to coping with adverse weather, climate, and grazing conditions through autonomous adaptation. However, today's rapidly changing Arctic environment poses new challenges to the management of herding activities. Finding means for combining traditional and scientific knowledge without depriving any of the systems of its fundamental strengths is hence deemed necessary. In this work, we apply a transdisciplinary framework for knowledge co-production involving international researchers and reindeer herders from different cooperatives in northern Finland. Through ‘climate change adaptation stories’, we co-explore how climate predictions can inform herders' decision making during the herding season. Relevant decisions include the anticipation of summer harvest time, the inopportune periods of cold weather in spring, and insect harassment in summer. Despite their potential benefits for climate-sensitive decisions, climate predictions have seen limited uptake, mainly due to their probabilistic nature and lower quality compared with shorter-term weather forecasts. The analysis of two different adaptation stories shows that seasonal predictions of temperature for May and June can successfully advise about the likelihood of having an earlier than normal harvest. This information can be obtained up to three months in advance, helping herders to better arrange their time for other activities. Likewise, sub-seasonal predictions of temperature during April and May can be useful to anticipate the occurrence of backwinter episodes, which can support herders in deciding whether to feed reindeer in pens for longer, avoiding putting the survival of calves at risk. This study, which would benefit from co-evaluation in real world settings and consideration of additional adaptation stories, sets the basis for a successful co-production of climate services with Arctic reindeer herders. This research shows the potential to enhance the resilience of Polar regions, offering opportunities for adaptation while supporting the sustainability and culture of traditional practices of Arctic communities.

Changes in the microsatellite profile in an experimental herd of Nenets reindeer

The aim of the research is to evaluate changes in the allelic structure of DNA microsatellites in a herd of Nenets reindeer. The work was carried out in the Priuralsky district of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, on an experimental herd of animals belonging to the Yamal experimental station. The allelofund included a microsatellite profile of 300 deer obtained as a result of the 2018 study and 100 animals analyzed in 2022. It was found that significant transformations were observed at all loci, with the exception of NVHRT24. In the microsatellite profile of 2018, there were 6 alleles with a total frequency of 0.298, which were not detected in the 2022 studies. In 2022, 8 alleles with a total frequency of 0.105 not identified in the previous study were established. The Shannon index indicates a slight increase in genetic diversity in the analyzed population (by 0.059), as well as an increase in the observed heterozygosity of animals (by 0.074). The fixation index for all analyzed loci showed that both in the sample of 2018 and 2022, there was a deficit of heterozygotes in the study population, however, the data of 2022 indicate a decrease in the deficit of heterozygotes by 0.089. Analysis of the divergence of the population for individual loci indicates that the maximum divergence of the allelic structure occurred at the RT9 locus (d=0.331), RT30 (d=0.236) and NVHRT76 (d=0.231), and the maximum similarity was preserved for the loci NVHRT24 (d=0.007), RT1 (d=0.0014) and RT7 (d=0.0020). Thus, pronounced gene drift was observed in the studied population.

What did evenks get from modernization? global projects of the century and people's destinies

The article is based mainly on the materials of the expeditions of 2021-2022 to the areas of close cohabitation of Evenks and Russians - the Verkhnebureinsky district of the Khabarovsk Territory and the Severo-Baikalsky district of the Republic of Buryatia. The territories adjacent to the Baikal-Amur Railway were under the influence of an aggressive policy of modernization, which led to significant transformations in the habitual way of life of the indigenous peoples of the North (often abbreviated in Russian as KMNS , standing for korennye malochislennye narody severa ) - in the conditions that prevailed after the construction of the highway and related infrastructure, it became impossible to use traditional ways of subsistence such as reindeer herding, hunting and fishing. Many representatives of the indigenous peoples of the North were unable to adapt to the changed realities. We argue that there is a need for close cooperation between federal authorities, such as the Federal Agency for Ethnic Affairs of the Russian Federation, with the Russian Association of Indigenous Peoples of the North and with Evenk business entities. The central federal authorities should rely less on the reports of local authorities, while constantly monitoring the real situation. It is necessary to pay as much attention as possible to protecting the rights of the indigenous peoples of the North to conducting a traditional economy. This means not only combating violations or abuses within existing laws, but also overhauling the existing model, which often leaves the Evenks vulnerable to exploitation of their lands by private entrepreneurs and tenants. In addition, it is the government of the country that is responsible for creating favorable conditions for changing the activities of those Evenki who do not want or cannot run a traditional economy, which implies improving access to education and creating new jobs, as well as strengthening social support measures.

Development of a recreational tour to Momsky Nature park «Aan-Aiylgy» for students

The Arctic region of the Russian Federation is currently attracting much attention. Arctic tourism is becoming increasingly popular. This article considers the concept, features and tourist potential of Momsky district of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). One of the modern approaches to the development of the Arctic regions of Yakutia is the effective use of tourist potential, which the Momsky district has. This is a territory with special natural-climatic and tourist-recreational resources. Russia has recently witnessed the growth of domestic tourism due to geopolitical changes, the growth of foreign currencies against the Russian rouble and other factors. This brings high prospects for the development of tourism in the previously unexplored Arctic regions of our country. Theoretical and methodical aspects of the organization of physical recreation for students by means of a tourist camping trip to the Nature Park in the Momsky district «Aan-Aiylgy» are investigated. In the future it is planned to organize camping tours not only for our students, but also for everyone. Exclusive tourist routes will be offered, which, despite their high prices, will be attractive in the current conditions of the global tourist market development. Tourists largely depend on the organizer of the trip. Perhaps it would be better if it was a well-organized travel agency, but unfortunately there is no such agency in the Momsky district. We believe that this is a good opportunity for local entrepreneurs to make money. Tour operators are better at organizing such trips and at arranging meetings with reindeer herders in advance, as well as good route planning. However, if you prefer a private entrepreneur from the representatives of the small indigenous people – Even – as an organizer, the programme will be more interesting: You will visit the camps of their friends or relatives and immerse yourself in the local colourful life. It is also worth mentioning the roads, or rather, their absence, which makes the tourist traffic noticeably less than desired.

Современные проблемы коренных малочисленных народов российской Арктики в условиях климатических изменений

The article describes the current problems of small indigenous peoples of the Russian Arctic in the context of climate change, the main of which are: the food problem, the problem of transport accessi-bility, the problem of economic activity and the problem of health. Because of global warming due to the increase in the average annual temperature, there is a high probability that the above-mentioned problems will only increase and significantly affect all life support systems of small indigenous peoples of the Russian Arctic. The article uses analysis and synthesis, induction and deduction to show the interconnection and mutual influence of the existing problems on the economic activity and health of small indigenous peoples in the conditions of climate change in the Arctic. In order to solve the current problems of the Russian Arctic indigenous minorities in the context of climate change, the following is required: 1) development of laws, strategies and/or state programs for the protection of indigenous peoples to minimize the adverse effects of climate change by sectors (reindeer herding, fishing, hunting and gathering); 2) creation of a system for assessing the impact of climate change on the economic activity and health of indigenous peoples; 3) participation of indigenous peoples in environmental monitoring and implementation of environmental projects in the Arctic.

When the connectivity is lost: infrastructural uncertainty and reaction to it amongst the tundra nomads of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug

The present paper contributes to the study of ‘infrastructural failures’ as one of the rapidly developing in re-cent times areas of the anthropology of infrastructure. In the focus of the research is a ‘failure’ of the satellite tele-phone communications in Russian Arctic, which occurred as a result of the decision of one of the providers, Globalstar inc., to withdraw from the Russian market in March 2022. This provider was particularly popular amongst the groups of the native population of Russian Arctic due to low prices for the service and equipment. In the paper, the ethnographic data collected during a fieldwork amongst reindeer herding nomads of Nadym District of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Russia, are used, on the basis of which the study is carried out on how the tundra nomads were adapting to the failure and overcoming its consequences. The paper starts with a short historical review of the development of long-range communications in tundra and the social norms, strategies, and behavioural patterns formed at different times amongst the reindeer herders in respect to these communications. This review, the materials for which comprised published literature and fieldwork records of the author collected in the late 1990s — early 2000s, demonstrates that up until the arrival of mobile and satellite telephones in tundra during the second decade of the 21st century, radiocommunications of the reindeer herders were, firstly, public and, secondly, relied in messaging on the social networks and mutual obligations of the nomadic groups with regard to transferring information. The review is followed by the description and analysis of the field data collected by the author during the fieldwork in August 2022. It is shown that the loss of the satellite connectivity in the spring of that year disturbed the reindeer herders very much and even caused a change in the movement routes of some of their groups. However, the herders soon managed to adapt to the new conditions. For that, the mobile phones, which were working on a part of the migration territory of the herders, were employed, as well as, impor-tantly, there were restored the social networks and obligations with respect to the information transfer that allowed reliable and relatively fast communications with the locations where the mobile connectivity was lacking. As the result, the communications once again became public, but the serious problems, which might have been caused by the interruption of the satellite connectivity, were able to be avoided. Meanwhile, the acute feeling of uncer-tainty that the herders were experiencing after the failure of the satellite connectivity, shows that the role of the long-range radiocommunications in their lives has increased significantly over the last two decades. The results of the study are also discussed in the context of the recent hypothesis on the “societies of the failure normality”.

Пространственно-временны́е изменения территориальных общественных систем в Ямало-Ненецком автономном округе

The Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area is an Arctic resource-producing region, where oil and gas resources have been extracted for a long time. The study purpose is a spatial assessment of changes in territorial social systems on the basis of population census materials. With this aim, the author has completed sequentially 4 tasks: 1) assessment of the current network of the of settlement organization; 2) study of the historical parameters of the environmental management in the pre-oil-gas period; 3) identification of priority diversifying areas in the historical context; 4) determination of mechanisms for planning balanced long-term development. The data sources are the materials of the state population censuses of 1926, 1989, 2002, 2010 and 2021. Research methods: mathematical, geoinformation, historical. While solving the first task, the author has applied the Zipf rule to estimate the ratio of the urban population in the Autonomous Area in 1989, 2002, 2010, 2021. For the tasks 2-4, he has carried out a comparative spatial assessment of the development of economic subdistricts in 1926. Due to the Arctic conditions, the implementation of full-fledged socio-economic development of each of the directions requires the participation of state regional structures, including at the administration level for the safe traditional environmental management. Regulatory state management, first of all, is necessary in the field of reindeer herding and fishing. Mechanisms are proposed for the formation of certain types of environmental management as diversifying the economy of the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Area.

Wind Energy on Trial in Saepmie: Epistemic Controversies and Strategic Ignorance in Norway’s Green Energy Transition

Climate change policies and the green energy transition have renewed colonial structures and injustices for Indigenous peoples in land-use conflicts, but not without resistance. This article explores epistemic controversies in a legal struggle concerning impacts from wind energy infrastructure on Southern Saami reindeer herding and culture in Norway. The article draws on courtroom ethnography and diverse written material concerning a court case between the wind energy company Fosen Vind DA and the Southern Saami reindeer herders in Fovsen Njaarke Sïjte. The findings show that the parties’ competing claims to truth rely on different knowledge systems and worldviews concerning what Southern Saami reindeer herding is an ought to be. However, beyond onto-epistemological struggles between the “Indigenous” and the “Western”, Fosen Vind DA and the Norwegian state strategically ignored all knowledges that threatened capitalist and green colonial interests. The Fosen case illustrates how Indigenous peoples can contest dominant knowledge regimes and colonial presumptions about their livelihoods, culture, and rights through the legal system. However, the Norwegian state’s reluctancy to respect the outcome of the Supreme Court verdict reveals that asymmetric power relations continue to pave the way for colonial dispossession of Saami landscapes, epistemes, and human rights in the green energy transition.

Traditional Nomadism Offers Adaptive Capacity to Northern Mongolian Geohazards

Mongolia’s northernmost province, Khövsgöl Aimag, famous for its massive Lake Khövsgöl set among the mountainous steppe, taiga, and tundra forests, increasingly attracts both domestic and international tourists. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, Mongolia received over 500,000 tourists annually. The aimag is also home to Indigenous, nomadic Dukha reindeer herders and semi-nomadic Darkhad cattle herders. Using a multidisciplinary approach, this study uses an analytical hierarchy process to map areas in Khövsgöl Aimag, where the infrastructure, including buildings, dwellings, formal and informal roads, and pastureland, is subject to geohazards. The hazards of interest to this mapping analysis include mass wasting, flooding, and permafrost thawing, which threaten roads, pastures, houses, and other community infrastructure in Khövsgöl Aimag. Based on the integrated infrastructure risk map, an estimated 23% of the aimag is at high to very high risk for localized geohazards. After a discussion of the results informed by the interviews, mobile ethnographies, and local and national land use policies, we postulate that communities exercising more traditional nomadic lifestyles with higher mobility are more resilient to these primarily localized geohazards.

Reconstructing past migratory behaviour of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus): Insights from geometric morphometric analysis of proximal phalanx morphology from extant caribou populations.

Reindeer mobility patterns vary widely in modern ecosystems, notably between more open or more wooded environments. This renders the reconstruction of past reindeer mobility patterns challenging, while being at the same time key if archaeologists want to better understand the role that reindeer herds played in the subsistence and territorial organisation of Prehistoric hunter-gatherer societies. Studying the morphology associated with different habitats and mobility patterns can be a useful method for understanding past reindeer behaviour. To access paleoecological information, the relationship between locomotor anatomy and substrate type can be explored in modern animals and transposed to the past, as previous studies have proven that an animal´s environment affects bone morphology. In this study, 3D Geometric Morphometrics are used to explore the impact of extant reindeer habitat type and mobility pattern on phalanx morphology. Results obtained reflects on the potential archaeological application of such an approach for paleoecological reconstructions. Size and shape of phalanx vary significantly, yet complex to interpret in light of interplaying factors such as subspecies, sexual dimorphism and the influence of migration costs, snow cover and substrate type. If direct application to the archaeological record remains preliminary, this first study permits to highlight promising avenues for future research.

Archeology of Folklore: Ancient inhabitants of the East Siberian Arctic

The subject of the study is the aboriginal tribes of the Yakut Arctic based on the folklore of the indigenous peoples of Northeast Asia. Mythological plots and folklore texts include images from mythical characters – the host spirits of ichchi and kuchun of peripheral border territories and wild "half-human, half-animal" chuchun/suchun, to representatives of alien Omuk tribes with their unusual appearance and habits: "hairy" giants, tiny men and people "falling asleep for the winter". The purpose and objectives of the article are to generalize, systematize and analyze folklore texts about the ancient inhabitants of the Yakut Arctic using materials from mythology, toponymy, ethnography and archeology. In the genres of Yakut folklore, although a cycle of legends and legends about non-Yakut tribes stands out, nevertheless there is no special article dedicated to the ancient inhabitants of the Arctic coast and the islands of the northern seas of Yakutia. Folklore texts contain diverse, including deeply archaic layers of mythological ideas and folk knowledge inherent in both Yakuts and Tungus-Manchurian, Paleoasiatic, Samoyed and Finno-Ugric peoples. At the same time, the plots of legends and legends were constantly developing, absorbing both mythological representations and real features of the life of Arctic hunters and reindeer herders, as well as fragments of Early Russian folklore. Such a wide areal distribution can be explained by a single historical and cultural heritage, including folklore traditions, of Northern Eurasia.

Potential for Tourism and Recreation in the Todzhinsky Kozhuun (District), Republic of Tyva, RF

The paper reveals opportunities and limitations of tourism development in one of the most inaccessible areas in the mountains of Southern Siberia: Todzhinsky kozhuun, Republic of Tyva, RF. Taking into account key indicators that reflect the natural, historical, cultural, and socio-economic characteristics of the territory, using GIS technologies, a comprehensive assessment and mapping of the tourism and recreational potential (TRP) of the territory was carried out. The method of multicomponent scoring was used in this work. Consequentially, the study area was divided by means of a regular hexagonal network into many operational territorial cells; for each of those, the sum of scores was calculated according to the conditions and objects that are localized within its boundaries. The set of operational territorial cells filled with visual information made it possible to create an assessment map of the tourism and recreational potential of the Todzhinsky kozhuun territory. This map highlights the areas of the five value ranks, from the highest to the lowest. The areas with the highest scores are obviously the most suitable for the development of tourism industry. In general, the basis of the region’s TRP is picturesque virgin natural landscapes with many large lakes, unique traditional ethnocultural landscapes of the mountain–taiga reindeer herders, biological resources for hunting and fishing, and healing mineral springs (arzhany). The key limiting factor in the development of tourism is the underdeveloped transportation system and the insufficiency of special tourism infrastructure facilities. Such an assessment made it possible to identify territories favorable for the creation of three specialized tourist clusters: ethnocultural tourism, “Reindeer herders of Todzhi”; water, ecological, and fishing tourism, “Todzha Lakes”; and mountain and sports tourism, “Big Sayan”.

Infectious keratoconjunctivitis in semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus): a questionnaire-based study among reindeer herders in Norway and Sweden

BackgroundThe effects of climate change, loss of pastureland to other land usage and presence of large carnivores are the main reasons for the increase in supplementary feeding of semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in Fennoscandia over the last decades. Feeding might expose reindeer to stress and increased animal-to-animal contact, leading to an increased risk of infectious disease transmission, such as infectious keratoconjunctivitis (IKC). As it can develop rapidly and be very painful, IKC is described as an important animal welfare concern and a potential source of economic loss. The aim of this study was to investigate the current presence of IKC and potential associations between IKC and supplementary feeding through an online questionnaire survey, distributed among reindeer herders in Norway and Sweden in 2021.ResultsSeventy-six reindeer herders (33 from Norway and 43 from Sweden) responded to the questionnaire, representing 6% and 4% of the registered reindeer herding groups in Norway and Sweden, respectively. Infectious keratoconjunctivitis was common, with 54 (71%) of the 76 herders that responded having observed clinical signs during the past 10 years. These signs were mainly observed as increased lacrimation, causing “wet cheeks”, but also as keratitis and conjunctivitis. Autumn and winter were the seasons in which IKC was observed most. The herders reported several measures, such as slaughter and isolation of affected reindeer, to counteract the spread of disease. The herding year 2019/2020 was associated with reports of outbreaks of IKC in herds as well as being the herding year where most herders (80%) had performed supplementary feeding. A significant association was found between IKC and feeding performed in an enclosure (odds ratio = 15.20), while feeding on free-range areas had a non-significant, negative, relationship with the appearance of IKC outbreaks (odds ratio = 0.29). Finally, there was a trend in the data suggesting that IKC affected calves especially.ConclusionsInfectious keratoconjunctivitis is a common disease, mainly observed in winter and autumn. It usually has mild to moderately severe clinical signs. Our results imply that IKC is associated with stress and feeding situations and that calves might be more susceptible than adults, however, this needs to be confirmed with further studies, preferably at an individual animal level.

Praise the Gardeners, Dun the Hunters: Alaska Natives, Taxation, and Settler Colonialism

AbstractThis article explores the relationship between tax law and settler colonialism by looking at the ways in which taxes can be part of the “civilizing” process of Indigenous peoples. In 1921, the Territory of Alaska enacted a “license tax on the business of fur-farming, trapping and trading in pelts and skins of fur-bearing animals.” Since most trappers were Natives, the “fur tax” de facto targeted them. This article unpacks the sociocultural and political dimensions of the fur tax against the backdrop of Alaska’s settler colonial history. Despite what the Alaska attorney general claimed was its “strict” revenue-raising function, the tax was part of a much broader settler colonial agenda. That agenda sought to turn semi-nomadic, “uncivilized” Native hunters into spatially grounded, “civilized” farmers, gardeners, reindeer herders, or wage workers. Ultimately, I suggest, within many if not most settler colonial spaces political and sociocultural ideologies alter the initial revenue-raising function of taxes.