Reindeer are ecological guardians in the wintry kingdoms of Lapland, resisting climate change in ways that reach well beyond the romance of the holiday season.
Tiia Jeremejeff, a Sami reindeer herder, navigates the icy expanse of Kierinki, northern Finland, on her way to feed her family's herd. While the harsh Arctic climate presents problems, accumulating data suggests that reindeer play a critical role in maintaining the delicate balance of this ecosystem, which is dealing with the repercussions of Arctic warming four times faster than the global average.
Reindeer herding has traditionally supported around 20 indigenous groups in the Arctic, comprising approximately 100,000 people and 2.5 million domesticated reindeer spread over nine nations. Aside from their responsibilities in transportation, clothing, and sustenance, these creatures have accidentally become frontline climate change fighters. Their grazing habits prevent "shrubification," a process in which open areas turn into forests, potentially increasing the effects of climate change by storing heat and hastening permafrost thawing.
According to research, reindeer grazing acts as a counterforce, preserving the distinctive Arctic ecology of open woodlands and treeless tundra. As climate change causes "shrubification," reindeer consumption of vegetation acts as a natural brake, maintaining tundra habitat and ensuring the survival of mosses, lichen, and low-growing willows.
Tiia Jeremejeff and Tiina Sanila-Aikio, reindeer herders, testified to the visible effects of these gentle grazers. Reindeer have an impact on carbon emissions and the albedo effect, which is the ability of snow and ice to reflect heat. According to research, reindeer grazing can reduce CO2 emissions by reducing shrub development, which is an important factor in minimizing the effects of climate change.
Furthermore, in the wide tundra, where there are no trees to shade and cool the snow, reindeer significantly contribute to boosting surface albedo. They assist in maintaining a thick snow cover by inhibiting shrub expansion, delaying spring melt, and keeping the cooling impact of sunshine reflection. This phenomenon is particularly visible along the Finnish-Norwegian border, where reindeer herding practices influence grass cover and the albedo effect.
However, climate change-related issues, such as rain-on-snow events and abrupt freezing, have had an impact on reindeer herding conditions. Herders have to adjust to difficult winters like 2019-20, when freezing layers accumulate above thick snow, by providing supplemental feed to prevent famine. While these adaptations secure the reindeer's survival, they also highlight the necessity of preserving traditional herding traditions that allow reindeer to roam freely and serve critical ecological roles.
Reindeer are not just a source of income for the Sami people, but also an important part of their cultural identity. According to the Sami, "if we don't have reindeer, we don't have Sami people." The Sami's regard for nature serves as a strong lesson in sustainable coexistence with the natural world, exemplifying the delicate balance between human demands and environmental management.
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