Reindeer Husbandry

This open access book focuses on climate change, Indigenous reindeer husbandry, and the underlying concept of connecting the traditional knowledge of Indigenous reindeer herders in the Arctic with the latest research findings of the world’s leading academics.  

The Arctic and sub-Arctic environment, climate, and biodiversity are changing in ways unprecedented in the long histories of the north, challenging traditional ways of life, well-being, and food security with legitimate concerns for the future of traditional Indigenous livelihoods. 

The book provides a clear and thorough overview of the potential problems caused by a warming climate on reindeer husbandry and how reindeer herders’ knowledge should be brought to action. In particular, the predicted impacts of global warming on winter climate and the resilience of the reindeer herding communities are thoroughly discussed. 

Svein Disch Mathiesen, Ph.D., is a head of the University of the Arctic Institute for Circumpolar Reindeer Husbandry at the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry and a professor and researcher at the Sámi allaskuvla/Sámi University of Applied Sciences, Guovdageaidnu, Norway. Between 2007 and 2011, Prof Mathiesen was a project leader at the IPY EALAT research project on Reindeer Husbandry and Climate Change. Prof Mathiesen’s research experience includes working in Svalbard, Russian Siberia, Mongolia, South Georgia, Alaska, and Sápmi. A co-author of more than 130 papers, he supervised a number of master’s and doctoral students. His recent main research interest is interdisciplinary knowledge on adaptation to climate change in the circumpolar north and building competence locally in Indigenous communities in the northern areas through international cooperation. Prof Mathiesen is a member of the Norwegian Scientific Academy for Polar Research, was in the writing team of theArctic Science Agreement (2017), deputy member of the Arctic Circle Board, and council member of the Arctic Science Ministerial meeting II (2018).

Inger Marie Gaup Eira is the Associate Professor at Sámi Allaskuvla, Guovdageaidnu, Norway. Her main scope of research is traditional knowledge and reindeer husbandry, which also became the basis for her doctoral research. Eira has developed the study “Theoretical approaches for tra- ditional knowledge and methods for documentation and dissemination” and has since 2013 been leading the studies in this area. Eira works in academia and is an Indigenous reindeer herder from Norway.

Dr. Ellen Inga Turi belongs to the Sámi reindeer herders’ family with reindeer pastures in Guovdageaidnu, Norway. Turi is the Associate professor and post-doctoral researcher at the Sámi allaskuvla/Sámi University of Applied Sciences where her research work is focused on Indigenous Traditional Knowledge and governance of reindeer herding. Turi has also been the Chair of the Arctic Council Indigenous Peoples Secretariat as a Sámi Council representative during the Icelandic chairmanship of Arctic Council (2019–2021).

Anders Oskal is the Secretary General of the Association of World Reindeer Herders (WRH) and the Executive Director of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry in Guovdageaidnu, Norway. Oskal is a reindeer herding Sámi from Northern Norway, with a Master of Science in Business specialized in Innovation and Entrepreneurship. Prior to his current position, he worked for a number of years in business development in reindeer herding.

Mikhail Pogodaev, Ph.D., is also from a reindeer herding family, born in Tomponsky district of the Sakha Republic (Yakutia). Dr. Pogodaev is the Deputy Minister for the Development of the Arctic and Northern Affairs of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and Special Envoy for Indigenous and Regional Cooperation in the Arctic Council. Dr. Pogodaev is the Associate Professor at the Department of Economic Theory of the Arctic State Agrotechnological University and the Lecturer at the M.K. Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University, Yakutsk, Russia.

Marina Tonkopeeva, MA, Ph.D. Candidate in Linguistics, is a project leader at the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry in Guovdageaidnu, Norway. Between 2016 and 2022, Tonkopeeva has been working as a project manager and coordinator for the Open School of Sustainable Development and the Coalition for Sustainable Development. As a language professional, Tonkopeeva has contributed to the work of the Arctic Council, DOCIP, and UNDP. Tonkopeeva was a lecturer at the School of International Relations at the St. Petersburg State University in 2017–2020. Her scope of research includes sustainable development, technologies for Indigenous languages, and knowledge co-production.