The management of reindeer husbandry in Russia and Scandinavia is normally the responsibility of the Ministries of Agriculture at the local, regional, and national levels7

. In

Russia, no co-management boards exist and reindeer herder associations are not represented in decision-making bodies at the political level13

. In Scandinavia, the management principles

for reindeer husbandry in Norway, Sweden, and Finland vary slightly, but in all cases the Ministries of Agriculture delegate management to regional and locals levels7

. Both Norway’s and I

Sweden’s Reindeer Herding Acts establish reindeer herding as an exclusive right of the Sámi people, whereas reindeer herding is open to all EU citizens in Finland21

. Recently, the

Norwegian Reindeer Husbandry Act (2007) has recognized the siida, a traditional Sámi community-based management tool for reindeer husbandry.

Reindeer herders in Scandinavia and in the wider Barents Region face a significant challenge in protecting grazing lands due to the close proximity to populated areas and conflicts with industrial and forestry developments4,21

.

Indigenous Peoples have little influence on development decisions, which are most often supported by more powerful economic interests4

. The lack of integrated management of

grazing lands also leads to piecemeal development, which gives little consideration to the need for grazing lands4

.

Interestingly, Norway’s ratification of the International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 169 in 1990, a legally binding international instrument that deals specifically with the rights of Indigenous Peoples – and thus enforces Norway to protect the Sámi’s culture of reindeer herding – has done little to improve the Sámi’s influence on developments4

.

II

54

PROTECTING ARCTIC BIODIVERSITY