Developing an ecologically and economically more stable semi-domestic reindeer management - a Finnish point of view

In arctic and sub-arctic regions semi-domestic reindeer management forms an important livelihood which should be able to provide enough income for herders. Reindeer management has natural limits of growth. Consequently it should be managed to optimise both the use of reindeer pastures and herder income. Reindeer pastures should be grazed at the economic carrying capabity level. This gives the maximum sustained harvest from reindeer stock and also the maximum sustained foraging from pastures. How is this to be accomplished? First, reliable knowledge about reindeer pastures in time and place is necessary: to estimate the quantity and quality of specific reindeer pastures within each management district, as well as the productive capacity and the changes in condition and productivity of those pastures. Secondly, data is needed on the accurate productivity of reindeer stock and the production costs for each management district. Thirdly, study the relationships between pasture resources and productivity of reindeer stock together with the effects of long-term reindeer densities on pasture condition and productivity. Finally, knowledge is needed about the effects of herd structure on reindeer stock productivity as well as the factors which restrict the use of reindeer pastures. Models based on adequate data could provide a useful tool for optimising the use of reindeer pastures and herder income. First the economic carrying capacity of reindeer pastures should be studied. Subsequently the economy of reindeer husbandry could be modelled with respect to reindeer stock density. Also the economy of reindeer husbandry based on different levels of feeding, and the effects of this husbandry practice on pastures, should be modelled. Models should be accurate and flexible enough to use when looking for solutions to practical questions and challenges in reindeer management

Snow conditions and usability value of pastureland for semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in northern boreal forest area

We studied variation in snow conditions and selection of pasture area according to altitude by semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) during 1999 - 2002 in a pine forest area utilised by forest industry in the Ivalo reindeer herding district, northern Finland. Snow conditions were measured over the course of three winters along equilateral triangles (side 3.5 km) for three times per winter. The altitudinal selection of pasture area by reindeer was studied using GPS tracking data (10 977 locations) from 29 female reindeer. We observed that interannual weather variation mostly affected the depth, density and hardness of snow in the study area. At the forest landscape level, snow depth and density increased with altitude. Thinnest and deepest snow cover occurred on western and northern slopes, respectively. In contrast, forest harvesting did not seem to affect snow conditions. From spring to autumn, reindeer mainly used higher altitudes in pastures. In early and mid-winter, when snow conditions were easy or moderate reindeer still preferred higher altitudes, but in late winter when snow conditions and food accession were at their most difficult, they preferred lower altitudes. We conclude that especially the use of high elevation forestland pastures may become more difficult for reindeer if the global climatic change causes higher winter precipitation to the northern boreal forest area. In general, the low-elevation forestland areas have primary winter grazing value for reindeer but these areas are also intensively used by forest industry.Abstract in Finnish / Tiivistelmä:Lumiolosuhteet ja laidunten käyttöarvo poronhoidossa pohjoisella havumetsäaluella Lumiolosuhteiden vaihtelua ja porojen (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) laidunalueen valintaa maaston korkeuden perusteella tutkittiin vuosina 1999–2002 metsätalouden hyödyntämällä mäntymetsäalueella Ivalon paliskunnassa, Pohjois-Suomessa. Lumiolosuhteet mitattiin kolme kertaa kunakin kolmena talvena käyttämällä mittaukseen tasasivuisia kolmioita (sivu 3,5 km). Porojen laidunalueen valintaa korkeusvyöhykkeen mukaan tutkittiin käyttämällä porojen GPS seurannan aineistoja 29 vaatimesta (yhteensä 10 977 paikannusta). Vuosien välinen säävaihtelu vaikutti eniten lumen paksuuteen, tiheyteen ja kovuuteen tutkitulla alueella. Maisematasolla lumen paksuus ja tiheys lisääntyivät alueen korkeuden kasvaessa metsämaalla. Ohuin lumikerros mitattiin länsirinteillä ja paksuin kerros pohjoisrinteillä. Sen sijaan metsien käsittelyllä ei näyttänyt olevan vaikutusta lumiolosuhteisiin. Keväästä syksyyn porot käyttivät pääosin ylemmillä korkeusvyöhykkeillä sijaitsevia laitumia. Alku ja keskitalvella, jolloin lumiolosuhteet olivat vielä verrattain helpot, porot suosivat edelleen ylemmille korkeusvyöhykkeille sijoittuvia laitumia, mutta lopputalvella lumiolosuhteiden ja ravinnonsaannin ollessa vaikeimmat, porot suosivat alempien korkeusvyöhykkeiden laitumia. On todennäköistä, että erityisesti ylemmillä korkeusvyöhykkeillä olevat metsämaan laitumet voivat tulla vaikeammaksi käyttää poroille talvella, mikäli ilmastonmuutos aiheuttaa talvisadannan lisääntymisen pohjoisella havumetsäalueella. Yleisesti alemmille korkeusvyöhykkeille sijoittuvilla metsämaan laidunalueilla on ensisijainen talvilaidunarvo poronhoidolle, mutta myös metsätalous hyödyntää näitä alueita intensiivisesti.Abstract in Norwegian / Sammendrag:Snøforhold og bruksverdi som beiteland for tamrein (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) i nordborale skogsområder I perioden 1999-2002 studerte vi tamreinens valg av beiteområder ettersnøforhold og høyde over havet i en furuskog utnyttet av skogsdriften i Ivalo reinbeitedistrikt nord i Finland. Snøforholdene ble målt 3 ganger per vinter i tre vintre etter likebeinte triangler med side 3,5 km. Reinens beiting i ulike høyder ble målt med GPS-sporing av 29 simler på tilsammen 10 977 observasjonspunkter. Vi observerte at værvariasjonen mellom år mest påvirket snødybde og snøens tetthet og hardhet. I skogslandskapet økte snødybden og tettheten med høydebeliggenheten. Tynnest og djupest snødekke fantes henholdsvis i vestlige og nordlige skråninger. Derimot syntes ikke skogsdriften å påvirke snøforholdene. Fra vår til høst utnyttet reinen hovedsakelig de høyestliggende beiteområdene. Tidlig og midt på vinteren når snøforholdene fortsatt var lette eller moderate, foretrakk reinen fortsatt høyereliggende beiter, men på seinvinteren når snøforholdene og plantetilgjengeligheten var på det vanskeligste, foretrakk reinen lavereliggende områder. Ut fra observasjonene kan vi antyde at særlig høyereliggende beiteområder blir mindre tilgjengelig for reinen om det blir økt vinternedbør i de nordlige skogsområdene som følge av globale klimaendringer. Vanligvis har de lavtliggende skogsområdene størst beiteverdi for reinen om vinteren, samtidig som disse områdene også er de mest intesivt utnyttede hogstområder for skogsindustrien

Pastures, calf production and carcass weights of reindeer calves in the Oraniemi co-operative, Finnish Lapland

The effects of climatic and density-dependent factors on calf production and carcass weights of reindeer calves were studied between the years 1965-87 in the Oraniemi co-operative, Finnish Lapland (67°50´N). The Oraniemi area is divided into five pasture regions, in which the annual home range of the reindeer varied from 300 to 600 km2. The more than trebled reindeer density over the period 1965-87 in Oraniemi had no detrimental effect on calf production (range 15-74 calves/100 females), nor on the mean carcass weight of the calves in 1974-87 (range 16.8-23.2 kg). The annual variations in calf% were explained best by snow conditions during the previous winter and spring and their effects on the nutritional status of the females. The carcass weights of the calves were greater following a warm, rainy May and lower following a warm, rainy June and July. The weather in spring affects the emergence of green vegetation, which is reflected in the condition of females and their milk production, while the weather in early and mid-supper probably affects the quantities of blood-sucking insects and their activity. Carcass weights upon slaughtering rose from September to the beginning of December but then fell quickly. The differences in reindeer densities between the five pasture regions was not reflected in the calf% over the period 1984-87, but the carcass weights of calves were lower following high densities in the pasture regions, especially in the winter pastures

Range selection by semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in relation to infrastructure and human activity in the boreal forest environment, northern Finland

During past decades, the amounts of infrastructure and human activity have increased in northern latitudes. Although the effects of human development on wild reindeer and caribou have been widely examined, its effects on semidomesticated reindeer and the reindeer herding environment are still poorly understood. We studied how seven different human activities (population centres, buildings, main roads, forest roads, snowmobile tracks, skiing trails, and gold digging areas) affect the range selection by semi-domesticated reindeer in northern Finnish Lapland using GPS tracking data on 29 female reindeer. Data were analyzed using compositional analysis on two spatial scales (home range selection and within-home-range selection) and in three seasonal periods (early winter, late winter, and summer-autumn). Results showed that during winter, reindeer strongly avoided almost all studied human activities when selecting home range areas (for forest roads, the direction of the effect was unclear), but in summer and autumn, only some of those activities were important. Within the selected home range areas, pasture use by reindeer appears to be less sensitive to infrastructure and human activity, probably because reindeer were able to avoid these anthropogenic disturbances at the upper level of habitat selection. The size of the potential cumulative area affected by infrastructure varied seasonally between 27.5% and 39.0% of the study area when calculated on the basis of home range selection, and between 7.2% and 20.3% when calculated from within-home-range selection. The strongest avoidance of infrastructure was found in late winter on both scales of range selection, but weakest avoidance was in early winter for home range selection and in summer for within-home-range selection. Cumulative impacts of different human activities on the usability value of reindeer ranges should be taken into account when planning new land-use operations in the areas important for the reindeer herding.Au cours des dernières décennies, la quantité d’infrastructures et d’activités humaines s’est accrue dans les latitudes nordiques. Bien que les incidences du développement humain sur le renne sauvage et le caribou aient été examinées à grande échelle, ses incidences sur le renne semi-domestiqué et sur le domaine vital du renne sont toujours mal comprises. Nous avons étudié la manière dont sept activités humaines différentes (centres de population, bâtiments, routes principales, routes forestières, pistes de motoneige, pistes de ski et zones d’exploitation aurifère) exercent une influence sur la sélection du domaine du renne semi-domestiqué dans la partie finlandaise de la Laponie du nord à l’aide de données de poursuite obtenues au moyen d’un GPS apposé à 29 rennes femelles. Les données ont été analysées au moyen d’une analyse compositionnelle fondée sur deux échelles spatiales (la sélection du domaine vital et la sélection à l’intérieur du domaine vital) et sur trois périodes saisonnières (début de l’hiver, fin de l’hiver et été-automne). Les résultats ont indiqué que pendant l’hiver, le renne évitait dans la plus grande mesure du possible presque toutes les activités humaines étudiées quand il choisissait son domaine vital (dans le cas des routes forestières, le sens de l’effet n’était pas clair), mais à l’été et à l’automne, seulement certaines de ces activités revêtaient de l’importance. À l’intérieur des domaines vitaux sélectionnés, le pâturage utilisé par le renne semble moins sensible à l’infrastructure et à l’activité humaine, probablement parce que le renne était capable d’éviter ces perturbations anthropogéniques au niveau supérieur de la sélection de l’habitat. La grandeur de la zone cumulative potentielle touchée par l’infrastructure variait s’une saison à l’autre entre 27,5 % et 39,0 % de l’aire étudiée lorsque calculée en fonction de la sélection du domaine vital, et entre 7,2 % et 20,3 % lorsque calculée en fonction de la sélection de l’intérieur du domaine vital. C’est à la fin de l’hiver que le renne évitait le plus possible l’infrastructure pour ce qui est des deux échelles de sélection du domaine vital, tandis que c’est au début de l’hiver que le renne faisait le moins d’évitement dans le cas de la sélection du domaine vital, et à l’été dans le cas de la sélection de l’intérieur du domaine vital. Les incidences cumulatives de diverses activités humaines sur la valeur d’utilisation des domaines vitaux du renne devraient être prises en considération dans le cadre de la planification de nouvelles exploitations d’utilisation des terres dans les zones où les formations de troupeaux de rennes sont importantes

Range Selection by Semi-Domesticated Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in Relation to Infrastructure and Human Activity in the Boreal Forest Environment, Northern Finland

During past decades, the amounts of infrastructure and human activity have increased in northern latitudes. Although the effects of human development on wild reindeer and caribou have been widely examined, its effects on semidomesticated reindeer and the reindeer herding environment are still poorly understood. We studied how seven different human activities (population centres, buildings, main roads, forest roads, snowmobile tracks, skiing trails, and gold digging areas) affect the range selection by semi-domesticated reindeer in northern Finnish Lapland using GPS tracking data on 29 female reindeer. Data were analyzed using compositional analysis on two spatial scales (home range selection and within-home-range selection) and in three seasonal periods (early winter, late winter, and summer-autumn). Results showed that during winter, reindeer strongly avoided almost all studied human activities when selecting home range areas (for forest roads, the direction of the effect was unclear), but in summer and autumn, only some of those activities were important. Within the selected home range areas, pasture use by reindeer appears to be less sensitive to infrastructure and human activity, probably because reindeer were able to avoid these anthropogenic disturbances at the upper level of habitat selection. The size of the potential cumulative area affected by infrastructure varied seasonally between 27.5% and 39.0% of the study area when calculated on the basis of home range selection, and between 7.2% and 20.3% when calculated from within-home-range selection. The strongest avoidance of infrastructure was found in late winter on both scales of range selection, but weakest avoidance was in early winter for home range selection and in summer for within-home-range selection. Cumulative impacts of different human activities on the usability value of reindeer ranges should be taken into account when planning new land-use operations in the areas important for the reindeer herding.Au cours des dernières décennies, la quantité d’infrastructures et d’activités humaines s’est accrue dans les latitudes nordiques. Bien que les incidences du développement humain sur le renne sauvage et le caribou aient été examinées à grande échelle, ses incidences sur le renne semi-domestiqué et sur le domaine vital du renne sont toujours mal comprises. Nous avons étudié la manière dont sept activités humaines différentes (centres de population, bâtiments, routes principales, routes forestières, pistes de motoneige, pistes de ski et zones d’exploitation aurifère) exercent une influence sur la sélection du domaine du renne semi-domestiqué dans la partie finlandaise de la Laponie du nord à l’aide de données de poursuite obtenues au moyen d’un GPS apposé à 29 rennes femelles. Les données ont été analysées au moyen d’une analyse compositionnelle fondée sur deux échelles spatiales (la sélection du domaine vital et la sélection à l’intérieur du domaine vital) et sur trois périodes saisonnières (début de l’hiver, fin de l’hiver et été-automne). Les résultats ont indiqué que pendant l’hiver, le renne évitait dans la plus grande mesure du possible presque toutes les activités humaines étudiées quand il choisissait son domaine vital (dans le cas des routes forestières, le sens de l’effet n’était pas clair), mais à l’été et à l’automne, seulement certaines de ces activités revêtaient de l’importance. À l’intérieur des domaines vitaux sélectionnés, le pâturage utilisé par le renne semble moins sensible à l’infrastructure et à l’activité humaine, probablement parce que le renne était capable d’éviter ces perturbations anthropogéniques au niveau supérieur de la sélection de l’habitat. La grandeur de la zone cumulative potentielle touchée par l’infrastructure variait s’une saison à l’autre entre 27,5 % et 39,0 % de l’aire étudiée lorsque calculée en fonction de la sélection du domaine vital, et entre 7,2 % et 20,3 % lorsque calculée en fonction de la sélection de l’intérieur du domaine vital. C’est à la fin de l’hiver que le renne évitait le plus possible l’infrastructure pour ce qui est des deux échelles de sélection du domaine vital, tandis que c’est au début de l’hiver que le renne faisait le moins d’évitement dans le cas de la sélection du domaine vital, et à l’été dans le cas de la sélection de l’intérieur du domaine vital. Les incidences cumulatives de diverses activités humaines sur la valeur d’utilisation des domaines vitaux du renne devraient être prises en considération dans le cadre de la planification de nouvelles exploitations d’utilisation des terres dans les zones où les formations de troupeaux de rennes sont importantes

Composition of late summer diet by semi-domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in different grazing areas in northernmost Finland

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2nd Nordic NJF Seminar on Reindeer Husbandry Research "Reindeer herding and land use management - Nordic perspectives"

The 2nd NJF Seminar on Reindeer Husbandry Research was held at the Arctic Centre, University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland from 19 to 21 October 2014. The seminar was organised under the framework of Reindeer Husbandry Research Section of NJF (Nordic Association of Agricultural Scientists), established in 2012. Over 100 Nordic and international delegates including researchers, managers, educators, students and reindeer herders participated in the seminar.

Can a snow structure model estimate snow characteristics relevant to reindeer husbandry?

Snow affects foraging conditions of reindeer e.g. by increasing the energy expenditures for moving and digging work or, in contrast, by making access of arboreal lichen easier. Still the studies concentrating on the role of the snow pack structure on reindeer population dynamics and reindeer management are few. We aim to find out which of the snow characteristics are relevant for reindeer in the northern boreal zone according to the experiences of reindeer herders and is this relevance seen also in reproduction rate of reindeer in this area. We also aim to validate the ability of the snow model SNOWPACK to reliably estimate the relevant snow structure characteristics. We combined meteorological observations, snow structure simulations by the model SNOWPACK and annual reports by reindeer herders during winters 1972-2010 in the Muonio reindeer herding district, northern Finland. Deep snow cover and late snow melt were the most common unfavorable conditions reported. Problematic conditions related to snow structure were icy snow and ground ice or unfrozen ground below the snow, leading to mold growth on ground vegetation. Calf production percentage was negatively correlated to the measured annual snow depth and length of the snow cover time and to the simulated snow density. Winters with icy snow could be distinguished in three out of four reported cases by SNOWPACK simulations and we could detect reliably winters with conditions favorable for mold growth. Both snow amount and also quality affects the reindeer herding and reindeer reproduction rate in northern Finland. Model SNOWPACK can relatively reliably estimate the relevant structural properties of snow. Use of snow structure models could give valuable information about grazing conditions, especially when estimating the possible effects of warming winters on reindeer populations and reindeer husbandry. Similar effects will be experienced also by other arctic and boreal species