176
7
Within Sámi reindeer pastoralism in Norway, there is a situation similar to
what is described in . Table 7.3. Since pressure from other competing land-uses
has historically been more intense in the southern reindeer herding areas, the result
has been a dramatic reduction in the number of pastoralists and animals, and a
confinement of herding to a limited area with short migrations. Hence, in these
southern areas, around Røros south of Trondheim, the system is approaching the
ranching model. There is still herding, or ‘guarding’ rather, because the reindeer are
followed by the pastoralists at a distance, often using binoculars, and the pastoralists move in the landscape with the use of ATVs or snowmobiles. This distance
between reindeer and pastoralists mean that the reindeer remain wild, or semiwild.
Because of a milder climate, less movements with shorter migrations, lower
reindeer densities, and more abundant feed, individual reindeer in southern Norway
are fatter than the sturdy and smaller reindeer in the far north. It is these southern
areas that are presented by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture as the model for
other reindeer pastoralists in Norway, while Western Finnmark is seen as the main
problem area where the reindeer owners to a lesser degree follow the advice from
the government (Benjaminsen et al. 2016; Johnsen and Benjaminsen 2017). This
means that fewer calves are slaughtered than what the government recommends
and that the share of bucks in the herd is higher than recommended by state
advisors.
According to the state’s reindeer policy, it is only necessary to have a few bucks
in the herd for reproduction purposes. Having many bucks would mean less pasture available for the valuable female reindeer that produce calves. Based on experiences from sheep production where winter feed is the limiting factor, the state
recommends slaughtering of calves in the autumn that are born in spring the same
year. This means that the herds are reduced to a minimum before winter, and only
females are kept in addition to a few bucks for reproduction. In this way, a surplus
of lamb or calves is harvested every year.
The purpose with this model is therefore to optimize meat production, and to
make production as efficient as possible. In addition, the purpose is to reduce pressure on the winter pastures that are believed to be degraded or at least be a limiting
factor.
However, reindeer owners point out that the bucks have many tasks in the herd
in addition to reproduction. They contribute to better use of pastures by grazing
areas close to human habitation and infrastructure that are not used by the more
easily scared females and calves. The muscle power of the bucks, and especially the
castrates, is also useful during winter to dig through layers of snow and ice to
access the pastures. In this way, bucks and castrates help to make pastures accessible for the rest of the herd. To have a relatively high percentage of bucks can
therefore represent a form of insurance against difficult winter conditions when the
pastures are ‘locked’. A herd with few bucks may therefore be more vulnerable to
climatic fluctuations (Benjaminsen et al. 2016).
It is interesting to note that productivity per area unit is, on average,
approximately the same in West Finnmark (22.4 kg/km 2 ) and in the Røros area
(21.8 kg/km 2 ) for the period 1980–2016 (. Fig. 7.5). This productivity is considerChapter 7 · Pastoralists and the State
7
Within Sámi reindeer pastoralism in Norway, there is a situation similar to
what is described in . Table 7.3. Since pressure from other competing land-uses
has historically been more intense in the southern reindeer herding areas, the result
has been a dramatic reduction in the number of pastoralists and animals, and a
confinement of herding to a limited area with short migrations. Hence, in these
southern areas, around Røros south of Trondheim, the system is approaching the
ranching model. There is still herding, or ‘guarding’ rather, because the reindeer are
followed by the pastoralists at a distance, often using binoculars, and the pastoralists move in the landscape with the use of ATVs or snowmobiles. This distance
between reindeer and pastoralists mean that the reindeer remain wild, or semiwild.
Because of a milder climate, less movements with shorter migrations, lower
reindeer densities, and more abundant feed, individual reindeer in southern Norway
are fatter than the sturdy and smaller reindeer in the far north. It is these southern
areas that are presented by the Ministry of Food and Agriculture as the model for
other reindeer pastoralists in Norway, while Western Finnmark is seen as the main
problem area where the reindeer owners to a lesser degree follow the advice from
the government (Benjaminsen et al. 2016; Johnsen and Benjaminsen 2017). This
means that fewer calves are slaughtered than what the government recommends
and that the share of bucks in the herd is higher than recommended by state
advisors.
According to the state’s reindeer policy, it is only necessary to have a few bucks
in the herd for reproduction purposes. Having many bucks would mean less pasture available for the valuable female reindeer that produce calves. Based on experiences from sheep production where winter feed is the limiting factor, the state
recommends slaughtering of calves in the autumn that are born in spring the same
year. This means that the herds are reduced to a minimum before winter, and only
females are kept in addition to a few bucks for reproduction. In this way, a surplus
of lamb or calves is harvested every year.
The purpose with this model is therefore to optimize meat production, and to
make production as efficient as possible. In addition, the purpose is to reduce pressure on the winter pastures that are believed to be degraded or at least be a limiting
factor.
However, reindeer owners point out that the bucks have many tasks in the herd
in addition to reproduction. They contribute to better use of pastures by grazing
areas close to human habitation and infrastructure that are not used by the more
easily scared females and calves. The muscle power of the bucks, and especially the
castrates, is also useful during winter to dig through layers of snow and ice to
access the pastures. In this way, bucks and castrates help to make pastures accessible for the rest of the herd. To have a relatively high percentage of bucks can
therefore represent a form of insurance against difficult winter conditions when the
pastures are ‘locked’. A herd with few bucks may therefore be more vulnerable to
climatic fluctuations (Benjaminsen et al. 2016).
It is interesting to note that productivity per area unit is, on average,
approximately the same in West Finnmark (22.4 kg/km 2 ) and in the Røros area
(21.8 kg/km 2 ) for the period 1980–2016 (. Fig. 7.5). This productivity is considerChapter 7 · Pastoralists and the State