"We need more knowledge to ensure the interactions between reindeer husbandry and industry".

At the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), research is being conducted to support pastoralists and protect their rangelands, both in Sweden and globally. In Sweden, this primarily concerns reindeer husbandry, which faces major challenges from climate change, as well as from the green transition, where wind power, infrastructure development, forestry, and mining negatively affect nature-based reindeer herding. Anna Skarin, Professor of Reindeer Husbandry at SLU, works together with other researchers, Sámi reindeer herding communities, and other stakeholders to examine how reindeer husbandry is affected by these factors.

What are the greatest challenges facing reindeer husbandry today?
Reindeer husbandry is based on a pastoral system in which reindeer herds move across large land areas in search of forage. Grazing is the core resource of the system. For the system to function, undisturbed grazing conditions, access to sufficient forage, and the ability to move between seasonal grazing areas are required. Today, the system is negatively affected by several factors, with climate change leading to increased stress and reduced access to forage. Together with human-induced factors that restrict how reindeer can move across the landscape, the pastoral system is under constant pressure.

The green transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy conflicts with traditional reindeer husbandry in northern Sweden. Mining operations require large land areas, as does the energy needed to produce fossil-free steel, resulting in extensive wind power developments across reindeer grazing lands. The green corridors through which reindeer naturally move disappear or become fragmented, creating stress, reducing grazing tranquility, and ultimately affecting the entire ecosystem.

What solutions exist?
To identify solutions to the current challenges, it is necessary to consider the specific needs of reindeer in each area. In many cases, this involves restoring land so that lichen—the primary forage for reindeer—can recover, enabling reindeer to access sufficient food and thereby achieve grazing tranquility.

It is also essential that both researchers and Sámi reindeer herding communities are involved early in infrastructure development processes. Greater knowledge is often required to ensure effective interaction between reindeer husbandry and industry—at the level of authorities, through improved knowledge, and by making better decisions from the outset about the placement of wind power facilities.

Another factor being examined by researchers at SLU is the high calf mortality observed in certain areas of Sweden. While a proportion of calves die as a result of predation, calf mortality rates are too high to be explained by predation alone.