The Economics and Land-Use Conflicts of Sámi Reindeer Herding in Finnmark: Exploring the Alternatives

Sámi reindeer pastoralism suffers from a bad reputation in Norway. It is generally claimed that there are too many reindeer, especially in Finnmark. This allegedly results in overstocking of the lichen pastures of the winter pastures on the Finnmark plateau, low economic pastoral productivity, poor animal welfare, as well as increased land-use conflicts. This project has uncovered how such perceptions of Sámi reindeer pastoralism are myths with a poor empirical foundation. The project concludes that in contrast to the image presented by the media, politicians and state administrators, traditional reindeer pastoralism is ecologically sustainable. It suffers, however, from mistaken state management and from increasing land-use encroachments. The project demonstrates that there is good reason to re-orient Norwegian reindeer governance towards more seriously including traditional knowledge.

The reindeer industry in Norway appears to be in a crisis.First, the price of reindeer meat paid to the reindeer owners has decreased significantly during the last few decades.Second, the industry is increasingly involved in land-use conflicts.This projec t is focusing on both the economics and land-use conflicts of reindeer herding in Finnmark.It proposes an interdisciplinary analysis of the reindeer sector based on a political ecology approach.The overall aim is to provide new knowledge for the developme nt of policy alternatives for improved economic output and reduced land-use conflicts.The economic context of reindeer herding will be analysed in two work packages (WP). First there will be a historical political economy study of the reindeer sector in N orway and Finnmark in particular.Based on this background study, a value chain analysis of reindeer meat from the birth of reindeer calves to the supermarket will be carried out in WP2.Based on these two WPs, a proposal will be presented for how the reind eer meat value-chain can be better organised to increase production and revenues to producers.In WP3, there will be an inventory of different types of land-use conflicts involving reindeer herding.In addition, there will be an in-depth case study of one c ase of each conflict type. WP4 will build on WPs 1-3 to carry out narrative analyses of how key actors perceive the economics of the reindeer sector as well as how conflicts are perceived by the actors involved.In WP5, we will use repeat landscape photogr aphy to compare landscape changes over time as well as to compare indigenous and scientific knowledge.Reindeer owners and biologists familiar with the landscapes on the photos will be interviewed to provide their interpretations of the changes observed.We believe WPs 3-5 together have the potential to provide alternative explanations of land-use conflicts in Finnmark.Finally, in WP6 findings will be summarised, discussed with herders and disseminated widely.