| About Reindeer Husbandry - How is reindeer herding organized? |
| Tuesday, 15 September 2009 17:13 |
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How is reindeer herding organized? Every country where reindeer herding is conducted has regulations which state how reindeer herding is to be organized. Norway, Sweden and Finland for example have specific reindeer herding legislation which handles districts, Sámi villages and individuals rights and duties but also how external interests should be take into account when reindeer herding is impacted. The are wide variations in legislation related to reindeer husbandry in all countries where it is praticed. Reindeer herding can usefully be divided into tundra region and taiga region reindeer herding. ‘Tundra’ refers to long migrations between winter and summer pastures. In the summer reindeer and herders migrate to coastal or mountain areas to flee insects and access better pastures. Winter pastures are primarily located in the interior where the climate is more stable and where lichens are found. Tundra herds tend to be large, up to several thousand and migration routes are long, often many hundreds of kilometres. In recent history, tundra reindeer herding has a focus on meat production. Taiga reindeer husbandry is geographically widespread, is characterised by smaller herds and much shorter migration routes in forested or mountainous areas. Animals are primarily used for transportation and milk production. In both tundra and taiga reindeer husbandry, reindeer provide food, clothing, shelter and transportation. |