ICR, WRH and EALÁT on Yamal

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Written by Philip Burgess

Friday, 10 July 2009 23:15

The Yamal peninsula is the world's largest area of reindeer husbandry and home to Russia's largest gas deposits which are just beginning to be exploited. For millenia, Nenets herders and their reindeer have travelled north and south on their seasonal peninsular migrations. With rising commodity prices, exploitation of the regions large reserves has become a reality and the largest field in question is called Bovanenkovo.

The EALÁT project has two Phd students carrying out their Phd field work this summer in this region. Anna Degteva and Ellen Inga Turi have joined Brigade 8 and 2 respectively and they will be migrating north with herders and their families over the next month. Turi is accompanied by Rosa Laptander, a Nenets, who is acting as Turi's interpreter while Degteva is being accompanied by EALÁT project leader, Svein Mathiesen.

The two teams were accompanied initially by Anders Oskal (Director of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry), Mikail Pogodaev (Chair of the Association of World Reindeer Herders), Dmitry Khorolia (Vice President of the Association of World Reindeer Herders) and Leonid Khudi (Head of the Russian Reindeer Herders Union, Yamal and EALÁT coordinator in the region). This team flew by helicopter from Salekhard, stopped briefly with private reindeer herders delivering family members and medicines and proceeded to deliver the EALÁT researchers to their respective 'homes' for the next 4-5 weeks. Mathiesen and Degteva are close to some Bovanenkovo installations such as a road and rail line which has also meant intermittent cellphone coverage and have called in from time to time. Oskal, Pogodaev, Khorolia and Khudi returned to Salekhard. More news to follow.

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