Reindeer in research - from economical to ecological threat

What is it about?

I study in this article what kind of positions have reindeer been given in Finnish forestry science by research institution, Metsäntutkimuslaitos (Metla)? As Finland relies on forest industry, and because of overlapping zones of utilization, reindeer for the most part appeared as a threat to national wealth and a problem to harvesting, as well as spoiling ecosystem productivity. They were perceived as a harmful species that destroyed and “killed” saplings and decreased the forest areal. Closer to the present day, due to the emergence of the environmentally inclined research, the positions of reindeer have become more versatile, and reindeer receive more positive characterizations, even that of stakeholders, or the ones enjoying the outcomes of better-managed pastures. However, the breakthrough in biodiversity discourse from the 1980s onwards has led to the marginalization and new demonization of the reindeer, due to the conception of being too many and exceeding the carrying capacity of ecosystem. The position of reindeer in their ecosystem has become unstable and is defined anew as a risk.

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Photo by Tania Malréchauffé on Unsplash

Photo by Tania Malréchauffé on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The imagery of reindeer is versatile, they are sought after companions for selfies among tourists, they represent the whole of Lapland in tourism industry and they are regarded high as carriers of Sami culture and society. Simultaneously, reindeer suffer from poor reputation. One of the sources for this is ecological research, which has diversified and increased in scope. The focus has shifted from forest ecology to biodiversity of the pasture ecosystems, where reindeer grazes. The imagery constructed on reindeer in these ecosystems is mostly grim: not counting research on the cultural significance of reindeer, reindeer appears not yet as harm animal, but definitely as a problem. The poor reputation leaks to the herder societies, with consequences to the well-being of the communities. One unchanged and under-communicated aspect in all this is that the role of the reindeer continues to be a production animal, carrying the communities economically. Although agreeable and non-aggressive animal, reindeer has difficulties in claiming a position of a victim, elevating her from these traditional and industrial positions.

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