ICR Director Anders Oskal was interviewed by NRK Sami Radio on January 29th about the impacts of oil and gas development on Nenets reindeer husbandry. Oskal pointed out that there were a great many actors on the scene, some of whom are not willing to negotiate with reindeer herders.

On Saurday, January 26th, a large Chinese delegation visited Kautokeino and were hosted by the Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH) and the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR). Presentations were made by Johan Mathis Turi, Anders Oskal and Philip Burgess. The visiting delegation included Sun Hui, the Mayor of Genhe and the head of the township Alou Goya which is the centre of reindeer husbandry in China.

During the Arctic Frontiers Conference, the city of Tromso signed a friendship agreement with the city of Nadym, Yamal Nenets Autonomous Okrug on January 23, 2008.

Anders Oskal and Svein Mathiesen were present at the small ceremony and were able to inform the delegation from YNAO about the work of ICR and WRH.

"The agenda is the agenda of the oil companies," said Geir Tommy Pedersen, head of the Sami Council, which represents Samis from across Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia.

"We cannot stop the development but we want a part of the benefits and want to play a role in resources development," he said on the sidelines of a week-long conference in the northern Norwegian town of Tromsoe on environmental challenges in the Arctic.