Condition and use of reindeer winter pasture in the nature conservation

The amount of protected land area (national parks and strict nature reserves, totalling 12,518 km2) is about 10% of the reindeer herding area ( 122,936 km2) in Finland. With the inclusion of wilderness areas (totalling 14,873 km2), the level of protection rises to >22% (in Fell Lapland>80%). Survey response showed that almost all (96%) of the reindeer-herding cooperatives in the study (N = 26) considered the protection of forests in the nature conservation areas at least quite important. Almost all considered large predators in the protected land areas, especially brown bear, as being the biggest problem for reindeer husbandry in these areas. During 2001–2005 the most reindeer killed by large predators in the Urho Kekkonen national park were consistently those belonging to the Lappi reindeer-herding cooperative. The national parks and strict nature reserves were best suited to reindeer winter (39%) and spring pasture (30%). Of the reindeer-herding cooperatives in this study 92% were of the opinion that current reindeer-herding causes no problem for nature conservation, nor does reindeer overgrazing constitutethe gravest threat. In the winter of 2004–2005, however, 70% of reindeer-herding cooperativesfed reindeer in the forests, and of these, 53% in national parks and strict nature reserves.

The condition of reindeer winter pasture was studied in reindeer-herding cooperatives in the Lemmenjoki (Muotkatunturi and Sallivaara cooperatives), Urho Kekkonen (Ivalo, Lappiand Kemin-Sompio) and Pallas-Yllästunturi (Näkkälä, Kyrö, Muonio and Alakylä) nationalparks and in the nature reserves of Kevo (Paistunturi), Sompio (Lappi), Maltio (Kemin-Sompio) and Värriö (Pohjois-Salla and Kemin-Sompio). Satellite images revealed more lichen and arboreal lichen but less leaf, dwarf shrub and grass pasture in proportion to land acreage in the national parks and strict nature reserves when compared to other areas. In the protected areasthe cover, height and biomass of lichens were signifi cantly higher (P <0.001) than in other areas.The cover and biomass in the nature conservation areas classifi ed the lichen mat as being ina slowly renewing state and the height as in a heavily deteriorated state. The biomass classifi edlichen pasture in Pallas-Yllästunturi national park and outside in reindeer-herding cooperativesas being very heavily grazed (lichen biomass <100 kg dry weight/ha). In the Kevo naturereserve, too, lichen pasture was very heavily grazed with only a negligible amount of arboreallichens available. The cover of dwarf shrubs on the lichen heaths was usually signifi cantly (P<0.001) higher outside the nature conservation areas, but there were no signifi cant differencesin the cover of grasses. Lichen pasture was also heavily grazed in most of the wilderness areas.