Reindeer husbandry in peril?—How extractive industries exert multiple pressures on an Arctic pastoral ecosystem

Environmental changes and their consequences on biodiversity are known to have far-reaching effects on the resilience of animal populations and associated livelihoods around the world. To counteract negative demographic and economic effects on pastoralism, knowledge about the historical and current status of the environment is essential. In this study, we show how extractive industries, especially large-scale mining, induced a cascade of land conversions which are affecting animal populations and pastoralists’ adaptive responses in northern Sweden. We examine social–ecological vulnerability in Arctic reindeer husbandry by integrating herders’ knowledge, population statistics for semi-domesticated reindeer Rangifer t. tarandus, public data on socio-economic variables and geospatial tools. We determine that approximately 34% of Laevas reindeer herding community's grazing grounds are functionally unavailable to reindeer at present due to the accumulation of multiple competing land use pressures. Reindeer numbers currently only remain stable due to increased management efforts. Moreover, we identified current hotspots of high cumulative impact and mineral exploration as the spatially dominating land use factor in this area. Our approach and results provide new insights for scientifically robust cumulative impact assessments of anthropogenic stressors by creating a baseline of current developments via a combination of reindeer herder's knowledge with historical data of trends and extents of human activity over the last century

Extraktivt våld och urfolks koppling till mark

Denna artikel är en omarbetad version av en presentation som hölls av författarna vid konferensen La Responsabilité de Protéger. Écologie et Dignité (The responsibility to protect. Ecology and dignity) vid Université Laval i Quebec i början av oktober 2017. Kristina Sehlin MacNeil och Niila Inga lärde känna varandra som forskare och forskningsdeltagare under Kristinas avhandlingsarbete, vilket avslutades i februari 2017. De har sedan dess inbjudits att tala tillsammans vid en rad olika konferenser. Detta är deras första gemensamma publikation, samt den första artikeln på svenska som behandlar Sehlin MacNeils resultat från hennes avhandling Extractive Violence on Indigeneous Country (2017), där hon med utgång i begreppet ”Extraktivt våld” diskuterar om urfolks perspektiv på marken och på kopplingen mellan människa och mark.Extractive violence on Indigenous peoples’ lands is not only a violation against nature but also a violation against Indigenous peoples who experience close connection to land. This paper explores how Australian Aboriginal people and reindeer herding Sámi in Sweden connect with their lands and how these connections are threatened by extractivism. Extractive activities cause destruction of reindeer grazing lands and interrupts reindeer migratory patterns. The reindeer is the backbone of Sámi history, culture and society and is the foundation for language and traditional Sámi livelihoods. Reindeer herding Sámi communities in Sweden depend on the reindeer to exercise their rights to land, as the rights are connected to reindeer grazing. In Australia, where Indigenous peoples can be awarded certain land rights through Native Title, they are nonetheless still fighting to become recognized in the Australian constitution. Many Indigenous Australians also desperately work to save sacred sites from destruction due to extractivism. This creates complex dynamics between connection to land, rights and extractivism on Indigenous lands

Photochemical Tuning of Tris-Bidentate Acridine- and Phenazine-Based Ir(III) Complexes

International audienc

Changing Arctic Snow Cover: A Review of Recent Developments and Assessment of Future Needs for Observations, Modelling, and Impacts

Snow is a critically important and rapidly changing feature of the Arctic. However, snow-cover and snowpack conditions change through time pose challenges for measuring and prediction of snow. Plausible scenarios of how Arctic snow cover will respond to changing Arctic climate are important for impact assessments and adaptation strategies. Although much progress has been made in understanding and predicting snow-cover changes and their multiple consequences, many uncertainties remain. In this paper, we review advances in snow monitoring and modelling, and the impact of snow changes on ecosystems and society in Arctic regions. Interdisciplinary activities are required to resolve the current limitations on measuring and modelling snow characteristics through the cold season and at different spatial scales to assure human well-being, economic stability, and improve the ability to predict manage and adapt to natural hazards in the Arctic region