The reindeer and the Sami way of life are facing
considerable threats due to modern development.
• A
s old growth forest is cut, the amount of lifesustaining lichen is reduced, placing a heavy
financial burden on the herders to provide
supplementary food sources during the winter
season.
• L inear features such as roads, seismic lines
and power lines allow predators to move
swiftly across the land and into formerly inaccessible areas.
• H
umans also use these features for motorized
sport, causing reindeer to lose energy while
fleeing and lose access to critical nearby food
sources.
• H
ydroelectric dams prevent lakes from
freezing, forcing herds to take energyintensive detours into the mountains and
increasing herders’ costs.
• M
ines emit light and sound pollution that can
shift reindeer migrations substantially.
The negative impacts of these developments are
causing sharp declines in wild reindeer populations
as well as threatening the traditional Sami way of life.
A collaboration of scientific research and traditional
ecological knowledge will bring us closer to understanding and maintaining reindeer populations around
the world.
Forager 2 Fall 2015
35