VOICES FOR SUSTAINABILITY

By Anna Kangas, Helmi Lappalainen-Imbert, Eveliina Piispanen, Juliette Rose 

There is no other place in Finland than Kilpisjärvi that has similar differences in altitudes combined with moist marine climate traits and rare soil minerals. There, in the northernmost part of Finland, nature has a central role in the livelihoods of people. This area is also home to 177 reindeer herders, of which 45% are Indigenous Samí people, and 10 000 reindeer. Reindeer husbandry provides meat and supports traditional herding, which is an important part of the local culture. In traditional herding, reindeer can gallop freely between pasture lands. In this blog we will discuss how reindeer herding affects the local ecosystems. The area is also facing new challenges due to global warming, as the temperature in the Arctic is rising significantly faster than the global average.  

Endangered flowering plants and reindeer herding 

Kilpisjärvi area is well known for its colorful flowering plant species, many of which are nationally endangered. For example, the yellow flowers of glacier buttercup (Ranunculus glacialis spp. glacialis), cannot be found anywhere else in Finland. Also, strolling reindeer herds are a part of the Kilpisjärvi landscape. How do the endangered small plants and the semi-domesticated plant eating and ground trampling ungulates, get along?  

While reindeer grazing is an important factor for maintaining some fell habitat types, nationally grazing is also defined as a cause of endangerment for 21 biotopes. Further, there isn’t yet comprehensive knowledge on how reindeer herbivory affects single endangered species found in Kilpisjärvi. Some studies indicate that reindeer grazing could be beneficial for small growing plants, as mammals remove taller competing biomass from the growing site. On the other hand, some species, like the buttercup, are well known to suffer from trampling and dining of the herds.  

Pasture lands facing climate change 

The ongoing climate change is altering the ecosystems of Kilpisjärvi. Rain and temperatures are also expected to increase in winter more than in summer, and this will cause changes in snow and ice conditions as well as in vegetation. The warming climate shifts the tree line and the distribution of plant species northward to higher altitudes. This causes tundra and fell ecosystems to be replaced by birch forests and coniferous forests. As a result, pasture lands suitable for reindeer may decrease and become fragmented. 

As spring is expected to start earlier and winter later, and snow cover is expected to be up to 40 % thinner by midcentury, it can benefit the herders and increased rain boosts plant growth. Local herders have already noticed a shift from lichens to vascular plants. In addition, increased pollution may reduce the quality of forage plants. Especially lichens are sensitive to air pollutants. Reindeer can be categorized as opportunists, meaning that they can feed on a wide range of plant species. Therefore, reindeer may be able to adapt to the changing vegetation at some level. 

Increased frost and thaw cycles together with heavy rain-on-snow-events can cause ground ice to block access to winter food and cause mass starvation in reindeer populations. Heavy rain events can cause flooding and drown reindeer. Warming temperatures can also introduce new species, diseases, and parasites to the area, adding stress to reindeer. 

Increase in predators 

Brown bear, gray wolf, wolverine, and Eurasian lynx are the main four large carnivores that prey on reindeer in Finland. Prior to 1990, these animals were hunted without limitation to avoid reindeer predation causing large carnivores to almost disappear. Since 1990, hunting has been regulated to preserve them. Today, predator populations are increasing.  

However, reindeer herders do not appreciate this comeback of large predators, since it increases predation and threatens their traditional livelihood. In the Käsivarsi district, 3-5% of reindeer are killed annually. In Kilpisjärvi wolverine dominates the damages with 621 reindeer found killed in 2021.  

Loss of reindeer due to predation is financially compensated. Herders get the value of carcasses they find, which costs time and money and is not considered within the compensation. This has made herders feel that the compensation is inadequate, as in addition the value of their breeding practice is not compensated either. One solution could be to compensate reindeer losses according to the territory occupied by predators, which would allow herders to spend more time protecting the herds instead of assessing the damage. However, this idea is not approved of by the herders. This means that predation on reindeer may continue increasing, and some herds may disappear in the future. 

  

Herders facing the changing environment  

To cope with the changing environment, herders need to create successful coping strategies that ensure the economic and cultural viability of their livelihood. Examples of strategies could include intensifying pasture use and diversity, using supplementary feeding, using enclosures, or increasing control over their herd to ensure herds’ safety, and this also helps to limit the damage done by predators. Repellants and anti-parasite medication will also be necessary to ensure the survival of the populations.   

The future of reindeer herding in Kilpisjärvi 

Reindeer population has a significant impact on its environment. A unique area like Kilpisjärvi draws the interest of many different groups of people with different points of view on reindeer. For some actors, herding is an important traditional livelihood, whereas for some it is seen as a potential threat for plant diversity and endangered large carnivores. What is the future of reindeer herding, when for example climate change induces changes in pasture conditions? Will indigenous people be able to continue their activity? To help communities to adapt to changing conditions, regulation policies should ensure profitability and diversification of the herding livelihood. Policies should help to protect the culture and traditional knowledge, reorganization of the management systems and support herding practices to be more sustainable. Currently, the Kilpisjärvi community is, for example, lacking a consensus on the effects of grazing on regional vegetation. More objective research would be needed to support the local community to work together for a sustainable solution that acknowledges the socio-cultural and biological diversity of the area. Decisions must be taken now, and all the voices should be heard. 

References: 

Rantanen, M., Karpechko, A. Y., Lipponen, A., Nordling, K., Hyvärinen, O., Ruosteenoja, K., Vihma, T. & Laaksonen, A. 2021. The Arctic has warmed four times faster than the globe since 1980. Physical Sciences. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-654081/v1  

Horstkotte, T., Utsi, T. Aa., Larsson-Blind, Å., Burgess, P., Johansen, B., Käyhkö, J., Oksanen, L. & Forbes, B. C. 2017. Human-animal agency in reindeer management: Sami herders’ perspectives on vegetation dynamics under climate change. Ecosphere. 8(9): 1–17. doi: 10.1002/ecs2.1931 

Paliskunnat. 2022. Kilpisjärvi. Reindeer herders’ association. Online document. https://paliskunnat.fi/reindeer-herders-association/cooperatives/cooperatives-info/kasivarsi/ 

Metsähallitus. 2019. Käsivarren erämaa-alueen ja Annjaloanjin suojelualueen hoito- ja käyttösuunnitelma. https://www.metsa.fi/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Kasivarsi_hks_vahvistettavaksi-1.pdf 

Rasmus, S., Kojola, I., Turunen, M., Norberg, H., Kumpula, J., et Ollila, T., 2020. Mission impossible? Pursuing the co-existence of viable predator populations and sustainable reindeer husbandry in Finland. Journal of Rural Studies, volume 80, p. 135-148 

Turunen, M., Soppela, P., Kinnunen, H., Sutinen, M.-L. & Martz, F. 2009. Does climate change influence the availability and quality of reindeer forage plants? Polar Biol. 32: 813–832. doi: 10.1007/s00300-009-0609-2 

Turunen, M., Rasmus, S., Bavay, M., Ruosteenoja, K & Heiskanen, J. 2016. Coping with difficult weather and snow conditions: Reindeer herders’ views on climate change impacts and coping strategies. Climate Risk Management 11:15-36 https://www-sciencedirect-com.libproxy.helsinki.fi/science/article/pii/S2212096316000036?via%3Dihub 

Written by Olga Ievleva and Roni Kantola

The Arctic region occupies a huge territory. Due to climate change, this land is experiencing rapid and comprehensive changes, which require constant monitoring and analysis. However, the process of gathering the data on occurring development is hampered by the remoteness of the Arctic and lack of logistic opportunities as well as the limitation of funding.

Although the Arctic is not densely populated there are people who live even in the most remote parts of the region. These people have practical experience of life in the region and observation of occurring changes impacting their life. Consequently, the local population can provide some essential research data that can be used by science, policymakers, and people themselves.

So what is local knowledge?

The most popular adjectives accompanying knowledge in this context that can be found in various papers are local, traditional, and indigenous. We prefer to use the term local knowledge as it is the widest term that can include both traditional and indigenous knowledge.

Local knowledge can be defined as knowledge accumulated by people living in a certain area for a long time. In the context of the Arctic region, indigenous or traditional knowledge takes an essential part within this concept, as they present an invaluable set of data about life in the Arctic which is passed from one generation to another, and which finds its expression in objects of everyday life.

What are the pros and cons of local knowledge?

Local knowledge has certain drawbacks such as inaccuracy, the generality of the information, and often subjectivity. However, some advantages make local knowledge so valuable for scientists. We have already mentioned that it is not always possible to cover a wide area of the Arctic and as a result, some essential changes occurring in the area can be left without attention. In this case, the local population can be a primary source of information. It also presents an opportunity to observe occurring events in a socio-economic context. Scientists can gain not just naked facts about changes happening in nature, but also how those events impact the life of the locals.

What does the incorporation of local knowledge mean for knowledge production in general?

The data need to be interconnected. This is partially technical. For interlinking and interoperability, the infrastructures should be uniform, e.g. there should be standardized vocabularies. The databases should be accessible, open, and part of the machine-readable semantic web. With complexity, we need auxiliary tools. However, cultural changes are required. Some additional—even seemingly irrelevant—data need to be produced and linked right away in situ. Automation can help, but there should be decisions to use compatible methods.

We need multiple flexible knowledge management tools. Local knowledge in particular comes in many forms. For example, some knowledge-producing platform can be a game, another can be strictly economic. Knowledge can be ever-changing, relational, and subjective, so it is not just static objective facts. The amount of data increases exponentially when every locality and aspect gets mapped in.

The data and the tools need to be co-managed. They cannot simply be distinct research projects or top-down controlled national platforms. It is about rights too. Sometimes providing knowledge about external causes has harmed the local communities. Some sensitive content can be restricted from direct public use.

What shapes can local knowledge take?

Spatial information is a great example of data that is linked. It is now produced in high amounts, relatively easy to link to some data, and almost always relevant for ecological and cultural research. However, the other data needs to be well-structured too, so that it could be readily analyzed.

Local knowledge might be e.g., narrational and emerging only in some situations. Assessing it demands robust qualitative research approaches. But more relaxed and lengthy processes can help too. Some of the knowledge can be transformed into more quantitative forms. However, the remaining bits can be linked too. There is already a great body of data out there, for example, in hundred-year-old ethnographic books, describing local worlds.

Why do we need to act now?

Lots of knowledge is hidden and we might lose that knowledge. It is of utmost importance to try to find what might be disappearing. Environmental and cultural change can go hand in hand.

Assessing and linking environmental and cultural features and especially changes can help in predicting and highlighting things that might go unnoticed. This can enable adaptations. Systematic and platform-aided approaches could revitalize networks of local knowledge, preserve heritage, and benefit the continuity of the cultures and the natural environment in economic ways too.

How does local knowledge work in practice?

There are few cases of extensive incorporation of local knowledge into science as described previously, but there are many partial cases. One common method is kitchen table mapping, for example with Smith et al., the local fish harvesters marked fishing spots on a large map and provided a great amount of detailed information and new place names. Multimedia and geographic information systems (GIS) used as memory banks can act as aids for safeguarding and passing local knowledge inter-generationally and dispersed community members. The generated maps can include things such as 6000-year-old turf huts, turf huts that are still in use, traditional sedge harvesting sites, and snowier and thus mosquito-free resting areas for reindeer. These data could be combined with projected land cover change data. Crowdsourcing data can be inexpensive, yet extensive, which is why public participation GIS has been used by national institutions to assess things like species observations.

Conclusions

In conclusion, local knowledge represents a valuable instrument for gathering data. In particular, the Arctic region poses certain difficulties for scientists in conducting research due to its harsh climate conditions and remoteness. Local knowledge provides a chance to receive data even from the most remote places, as well as, to observe processes in the context and make inferences on the impact of certain events on human beings in the Arctic.

Local knowledge can be included in the general system of knowledge production, although it still requires systematization and generalization to make the process of gathering local knowledge unified and common.

About the Authors

Olga Ievleva, Bachelor in International Relations, studies at Saint Petersburg State University Master Programme “International relations in English”, makes an exchange semester at the University of Helsinki.

Roni Kantola, Bachelor of Science in Environmental Ecology, studies at the University of Helsinki’s Master’s Programme in Environmental Change and Global Sustainability.

References

Barlindhaug, S. 2012: Mapping Complexity. Archaeological Sites and Historic Land Use Extent in a Sámi Community in Arctic Norway. — Fennoscandia Archaeologica XXIX: 105–124.

Barlindhaug, S. & Corbett, J. 2014: Living a Long Way from Home: Communicating Land-related Knowledge in Dispersed Indigenous Communities, an Alternative Approach. — Acta Borealia 31(1): 1–24.

Pettersen, B. E. 2011: Mind the digital gap: Questions and possible solutions for design of databases and information systems for Sami traditional knowledge. — In: Porsanger, J. & Guttorm, G. (eds.), Working with Traditional Knowledge: Communities, Institutions, Information Systems, Law and Ethics: 163–193. Dieđut 1/2011. ISBN: 978-82-7367-028-1.

Smith, D., Woodrow, M. & Vodden, K. 2015: A boat perspective: local geographic knowledge of fish harvesters in Change Islands, Newfoundland. — Journal of Cultural Geography 33(1): 1–26.