38 research outputs found
Tipping points and regime shifts in reindeer husbandry: A systems approach
This chapter addresses the challenges to reindeer husbandry in Fennoscandia from a systems perspective. Drawing on information in other chapters in this book, the specific focus is on so called tipping points, or abrupt changes in the coupled social-ecological system. Tipping points may occur when external drivers push a system to an alternative system state, characterized by different feedbacks than in the original state. Compared to âidealâ or traditional reindeer husbandry, examples of alternative states include reliance on supplementary feeding to compensate for losses of pastures, fencing herds to provide protection from predation, becoming a meat-processing industry based on more centralized herding practices and a total loss of reindeer husbandry. All of these states are seen as undesirable by the herders. Reindeer husbandry, as it is currently practised, requires intact social-ecological relationships within the herding districts, as well as in their interaction with the external society. These system qualities need to be strengthened as they innately provide resilience, and will demand structural, institutional and legislative changes, but also discursive changes of how we imagine what sustainability is, and whether herders are treated as one of many stakeholders or as the rights holders that they really are according to the law
Unpacking reindeer husbandry governance in Sweden, Norway and Finland: A political discursive perspective
In SĂĄpmi and beyond, the practice of reindeer herding is under increasing pressure from competing for land use, large carnivores and climate change. The governing systems are, however, ill-equipped and unable to address resulting cumulative and interacting impacts. This has led to a difficult situation for reindeer herding due to the loss of land, functionality and flexibility, and proves a challenge for the Nordic states as the legitimacy of reindeer husbandry governance is increasingly contested. Addressing this challenge, this chapter unpacks the discursive and political dimensions of reindeer husbandry governance in Sweden, Norway and Finland. Guided by three broad questions: i) governing what, ii) governing how and iii) governing for and by whom, it explores how problem representations are constructed, handled and contested. The analysis shows that state-led governance was never in fact constructed to address herdersâ concerns, but was, and remains, based on the statesâ and competing land usesâ problem representations. The chapter, therefore, concludes by identifying the need to revisit the present understanding of âproblemsâ, âsolutionsâ and âvisionsâ in reindeer husbandry governance. A key task will be to re-image, or actively seek to change the discursive construction of, reindeer herding as a system-to-be-governed and attune it to the perspectives of the herders
Tipping points and regime shifts in reindeer husbandry:a systems approach
This chapter addresses the challenges to reindeer husbandry in Fennoscandia from a systems perspective. Drawing on information in other chapters in this book, the specific focus is on so called tipping points, or abrupt changes in the coupled social-ecological system. Tipping points may occur when external drivers push a system to an alternative system state, characterized by different feedbacks than in the original state. Compared to âidealâ or traditional reindeer husbandry, examples of alternative states include reliance on supplementary feeding to compensate for losses of pastures, fencing herds to provide protection from predation, becoming a meat-processing industry based on more centralized herding practices and a total loss of reindeer husbandry. All of these states are seen as undesirable by the herders. Reindeer husbandry, as it is currently practised, requires intact social-ecological relationships within the herding districts, as well as in their interaction with the external society. These system qualities need to be strengthened as they innately provide resilience, and will demand structural, institutional and legislative changes, but also discursive changes of how we imagine what sustainability is, and whether herders are treated as one of many stakeholders or as the rights holders that they really are according to the law
Perspektiv pÄ klimatanpassning : vad görs, vad görs inte och varför? Insikter frÄn en workshop med myndighetsnÀtverket för klimatanpassning
Den hĂ€r rapporten ger en inblick i vĂ„r pĂ„gĂ„ende forskning i projektet âMaking Sense of Adaptation - Adaptation practice in a governance perspectiveâ (hĂ€refter MASA). MASA har sedan Ă„r 2018 följt och följeforskat ett antal organisationer och institutioner med ansvar för klimatanpassning i en svensk kontext. Syftet med projektet Ă€r att bidra med kunskap om hur dessa aktörer uppfattar och genomför sitt arbete i praktiken, samt att baserat pĂ„ detta underlag bidra till en bĂ€ttre förstĂ„else för om, och i sĂ„ fall vilka, förĂ€ndringar i klimatanpassningsarbetet som Ă€r önskvĂ€rda och möjliga. Med utgĂ„ngspunkt i teorier om sociala praktiker har vi zoomat in pĂ„ specifika klimatanpassningspraktiker genom att följa, observera och analysera pĂ„gĂ„ende arbete. NĂ€sta steg Ă€r att zooma ut och blicka framĂ„t tillsammans med dem som befinner sig i dessa praktiker. Den workshop som vi genomförde tillsammans med myndighetsnĂ€tverket för klimatanpassning under vĂ„ren 2021 inledde denna fas, och denna rapport kan ses som ett första avstamp för gemensam reflektion och diskussion om vĂ„ra preliminĂ€ra resultat. MyndighetsnĂ€tverket för klimatanpassning Ă€r en central aktör och viktig kĂ€lla till kunskap i det svenska klimatanpassningsarbetet. NĂ€tverket kopplar samman ett stort antal myndigheter och sektorer pĂ„ olika nivĂ„er (regionala och nationella) som Ă€r involverade i och har ett utpekat ansvar för samhĂ€llets klimatanpassning. Syftet med workshopen var att tillsammans med nĂ€tverket reflektera och prata om visioner kopplade till klimatanpassning utifrĂ„n nĂ€tverkets egenidentifierade behov och preliminĂ€ra resultat frĂ„n vĂ„r forskning. Vilken mĂ„lbild och vision för klimatanpassning har myndighetsnĂ€tverkets medlemmar? Vad behöver utvecklas och förĂ€ndras för att en sĂ„dan vision ska realiseras? Detta sökte vi svar pĂ„ genom att diskutera frĂ„gan Hur ser ett samhĂ€lle ut dĂ€r klimatanpassningen fungerar och genererar önskvĂ€rda resultat? Som riktlinje fick deltagarna förhĂ„lla sig till Ă„r 2040, varifrĂ„n vi sedan spĂ„rade oss bakĂ„t i tiden mot nulĂ€ge (sĂ„ kallad backcastingmetod) för att identifiera sĂ„vĂ€l prioriterade frĂ„gor som risker med nuvarande sĂ€tt att arbeta med klimatanpassning. Vision för klimatanpassning Ă„r 2040 - hur ser ett önskvĂ€rt lĂ€ge ut? En viktig utgĂ„ngspunkt i deltagarnas vision av klimatanpassning Ă€r tillgĂ„ngen till insti-tutionellt stöd och ledarskap, bĂ€ttre kunskapsunderlag samt att klimatanpassning behandlas som en prioriterad frĂ„ga, politiskt, i samhĂ€llsdebatten samt i den egna organisationen. I deltagarnas vision Ă€r klimatanpassningen mer flexibel och proaktiv, samtidigt som det finns en tydligare ansvarsfördelning mellan samhĂ€llets olika aktörer och nivĂ„er. Helhetssyn och lĂ„ngsiktighet prĂ€glar arbetet dĂ€r globalt samarbete och rĂ€ttviseaspekter har en sjĂ€lvklar plats. NĂ„gra deltagare lyfter Ă€ven vikten av att existentiella frĂ„gor kopplade till klimatanpassning och klimatförĂ€ndring diskuteras och ges mer utrymme Ă€n idag. BĂ€rande för och underliggande visionen Ă€r en pĂ„gĂ„ende samhĂ€llsomstĂ€llning och transformation, eller strukturell förĂ€ndring, av olika samhĂ€llssektorer. FörutsĂ€ttningarna för klimatanpassning Ă€r avhĂ€ngigt samhĂ€llsutvecklingen i stort och i visionen hanteras inte klimatanpassning lĂ€ngre som en enskild frĂ„ga. FrĂ„gor att fokusera pĂ„ redan nu Deltagarnas övergripande vision, tillsammans med de nyckelomrĂ„den och risker som vi identifierade i efterföljande diskussion, ger en viktig fingervisning om vilka frĂ„gor som Ă€r centrala att fokusera pĂ„ och utveckla i klimatanpassningsarbetet redan nu. Politiskt mod, eller tydligt klimatledarskap, pĂ„ alla nivĂ„er identifierades i workshopen som helt centralt för framgĂ„ngsrikt arbete med klimatanpassning. Baksidan av samma mynt Ă€r deltagarnas uttryck för en rĂ€dsla bland enskilda tjĂ€nstemĂ€n och myndigheter att göra âfelâ vilket riskerar att skapa passivitet i klimatanpassningsarbetet. DĂ€rför krĂ€vs olika former av stöd sĂ„som tydligare vĂ€gledning och mĂ„lstyrning som kan underlĂ€tta myndigheternas avvĂ€gningar. En annan aspekt som pekas ut som viktig för klimatarbetet Ă€r möjligheter till gemensamt utforskande av svĂ„ra frĂ„gor dĂ€r det saknas enkla svar eller stöd av tidigare erfarenheter. Kontinuerliga reflektionsprocesser inom nĂ€tverket och dess olika organisationer menar vi kan vara ett sĂ€tt att bidra till att skapa detta utrymme och samtidigt skapa förutsĂ€ttningar för institutionaliserat lĂ€rande. MyndighetsnĂ€tverkets medlemmar poĂ€ngterar sĂ€rskilt vikten av tydligare ansvarsfördelning. Ăven om ansvarsfrĂ„gan lyfts tidigare och varit föremĂ„l för statliga utredningar, menar nĂ€tverket att mĂ„nga oklarheter bestĂ„r. DĂ€rför vill vi understryka att frĂ„gan om ansvar för och ledarskap i samverkan kring klimatanpassning bör ges större vikt. Ett helhetsgrepp Ă€r en förutsĂ€ttning för att kunna nĂ„ önskvĂ€rda förutsĂ€ttningar för fungerande klimatanpassning. LĂ€rdomar och framĂ„tblickar LĂ€rdomar frĂ„n denna process Ă€r att ett medvetet visionĂ€rt fokus och förhĂ„llningssĂ€tt kan skapa viktiga diskussionsytor för att angripa klimatanpassningsfrĂ„gans mer komplexa aspekter. Att göra som vi gjorde i projektet, formulera en vision i en halvt avlĂ€gsen framtid - tillrĂ€ckligt lĂ„ngt borta för att inte uppfattas som lĂ„st av nulĂ€get, men tillrĂ€ckligt nĂ€ra för att vara relevant för redan pĂ„gĂ„ende beslut och processer - möjliggjorde för deltagarna att röra sig bortom sakfrĂ„gor och fragmenterade perspektiv till att ta ett bredare grepp pĂ„ klimatanpassning. Vi ser en stor potential i myndighetsnĂ€tverket att fortsatt arbeta pĂ„ detta sĂ€tt. Precis som deltagare framhĂ„ller under workshopen, bör nĂ€tverket vĂ€rna rollen som ett öppet forum dĂ€r frĂ„gor kan dryftas pĂ„ ett prestigelöst sĂ€tt. Vi föreslĂ„r ocksĂ„ att nĂ€tverket fortsĂ€tter att utforska möjligheterna att institutionalisera processer och skapa verktyg för olika former av Ă„terkommande reflektion och övergripande dialog som kan bidra till att utveckla och utnyttja nĂ€tverkets potential. Rapportens upplĂ€gg Den första delen i rapporten ger en inblick i forskningsprojektet MASA. Vi beskriver kortfattat projektets ansats, sammanfattar vad vi sett sĂ„ hĂ€r lĂ„ngt samt ger en bakgrund till workshopens inriktning. Del tvĂ„ Ă„terger upplĂ€gget pĂ„ och resultaten av workshopen uppdelat i deltagarnas vision samt identifierade nyckelfrĂ„gor, riskomrĂ„den och behov kopplat till klimatanpassningsarbetet. Del tre blickar framĂ„t och fokuserar pĂ„ myndighetsnĂ€tverkets nuvarande och framtida roll och potential
Waters that matter:How human-environment relations are changing in high-Arctic Svalbard
There is scientific consensus that the archipelago of Svalbard is warming up faster than other parts of the planet. People who live in or regularly visit this part of the European high Arctic observe and experience these changes in a subjective and relational manner. This article illustrates how perceptions of environmental change are enmeshed with our ways of interacting with water(s) and dwelling in the landscape. What kind of water-related change do people talk about? How do changes in the different water worlds matter? How does water help us portray what environmental change means? We show that âwhatâ and âhowâ we know about water(s) amidst change are in many ways inseparable. Our contribution offers a benchmark for discussing water-related environmental change in Svalbard from a perspective that goes beyond âwhat long-term monitoring tells usâ towards âwhat bodies experience.â Through accounts shared mostly by scientists, technicians, and tour guides, we explore notions of water in its various forms, such as sea ice, glaciers, rivers, the wetness of the tundra, snow, and weather phenomena including rain. We focus on processes such as disappearing, melting, freezing, swelling, saturating, drying up, eroding, appearing, and threatening, and discuss what the observed and experienced changes mean for human-environment relations. Our interlocutors emphasize many facets of their relationship with the landscape, including identity, expectations, emotions, knowledge, and practices. Our study demonstrates how the experiential perspective is largely ordered and filtered through activities and practices, among which mobility and reading, or predicting, the landscape stand out as particularly important. Through a relational approach to water(s) permeation, we apply Tim Ingoldâs concept of taskscapes and his perspectives on dwelling to show how time scales and connection to place matter. We juxtapose scientific knowledge produced through long-term monitoring with experiential knowledge, and demonstrate their entanglement in the Svalbard context, dominated by scientific ways of knowing
Reindeer husbandry and climate change:challenges for adaptation
Reindeer and reindeer herders in the circumpolar North are exposed to harsh and often hard-to-predict weather conditions. Herding communities have previously adapted to these external disturbances by flexible pasture use, seasonal mobility, changing herding practices, diversifying livelihoods and continuously developing traditional or experience-based knowledge. However, few places in the world experience ongoing climate change as clearly and rapidly as the high northern latitudes. The effects of climate change and increased frequency of extreme weather events are transforming the biophysical environment of reindeer husbandry. These changes challenge the adaptive capacity of herders who operate in a landscape they share with, and which is highly impacted by, other forms of land use. Thus, sociopolitical factors play a major role in developing adaptation strategies that are perceived as desirable and possible. This chapter summarizes the observed and expected changes in climate and impacts thereof within the reindeer herding area (RHA) of northern Fennoscandia. The chapter further presents a range of strategies adopted by herders to cope with adverse, seasonal weather conditions and indirect impacts of climate change. Finally, it situates these strategies in the context of more proactive and institutional adaptation
Unpacking reindeer husbandry governance in Sweden, Norway and Finland:A political discursive perspective
Governing maximum reindeer numbers in Fennoscandia
Publisher Copyright: © 2022 selection and editorial matter, Tim Horstkotte, Ăystein Holand, Jouko Kumpula and Jon Moen.This chapter examines the complexities and challenges in state governance of the maximum permitted number of reindeer in Finland, Norway and Sweden. The common findings regarding the three countries are that (1) maximum permitted numbers of reindeer set by the nation states primarily seem to promote objectives other than those of herders; (2) various contextual aspects (e.g., laws, other land users, trends in science, herding practices and historical developments) partly explain the sustainable maximum permitted numbers; (3) reductionist assessments of pasture â reindeer relations easily neglect the impacts of other land users on condition and availability of pastures, thereby making the assessments biased and stigmatizing herders for alleged overgrazing. The chapter also explores issues related to reindeer numbers that vary across the three countries including (4) herdersâ opportunities to participate in knowledge production and resulting decisions over maximum reindeer numbers, (5) clashes between herdersâ experience and practice-based knowledge and scientific knowledge on which the definitions of maximum numbers are often based and (6) the ways in which the borders between reindeer herding districts and nation states have implications for the governance of reindeer numbers.Peer reviewe