Reindeer Management in Northernmost Europe: Linking Practical and Scientific Knowledge in Social-Ecological Systems (Ecological Studies)

The management of reindeer herds in northernmost Europe has been dramatically altered by changes in the environment, largely the result of human activities. This volume investigates the conditions upon which human-reindeer relations have been based, as well as those necessary for future reindeer management. It consists of three parts: "Herders and Reindeer: The Cultural and Socioeconomic Dynamics of Human-Animal Relations"; "Reindeer Herding - Effects on Soils, Soil Biota, and Vegetation"; and "Integrative Models for Reindeer Management: The Interface Between Social and Natural Sciences". The results of process-oriented field and laboratory studies by scientists are efficaciously supported by those from research involving herders and their experience-based knowledge. In Northern Fennoscandia and Northwest Russia, the issue is not just the conservation of the natural environment of reindeer, but also the survival of the Sami, the northern indigenous people who herd them.