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- Olofsson, Anna, et al.
(författare)
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Monitoring changes in lichen resources for range management purposes in reindeer husbandry
- 2011
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Ingår i: Ecological Indicators. - : Elsevier BV. - 1470-160X .- 1872-7034. ; 11, s. 1149-1159
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Mat-forming lichens are important as food source for reindeer during the winter, and thus a vital resource to manage in reindeer husbandry. In this paper we suggest a method for monitoring of changes in lichen height with the purpose to early detect changes in lichen abundance in reindeer grazing areas. The method is intended for measuring geographically uniform lichen areas, evenly used for reindeer grazing. We analysed spatial variations in lichen height at the meter and 100 m scales, and calculated sample size requirements, and estimated effects of forest density and age, lichen moisture and lichen density on lichen height, and assessed the correspondence between lichen height and biomass. The variation in lichen height differed considerably between sites and, hence, the required sample size to detect a 5 mm change in lichen height with a power of 0.95 ranged from 200 to 2000, depending on the standard deviation of measured heights. Based on the autocorrelation in lichen height found between adjacent measurement points, a minimum distance of 4 m between measurement points is also recommended. Lichen height was significantly affected by lichen moisture, and the results suggest that this effect of moisture might vary with lichen density. Lichen height varied spatially within the study sites, and the spatial variations were partly caused by forest age and density. Thus, gradual changes in the forest characteristics are likely to alter the spatial variation in lichen height and it is therefore important to regularly re-evaluate the locations of measurement points within the monitored area. This study provides suggestions for a variable that could be used as an indicator of changes in the lichen resource, and aspects that should be considered when designing a monitoring program. The accuracy of detecting changes depends on the monitoring efforts, i.e. the number and distribution of measurement points and how often an area is monitored. In conclusion, our results indicate that measurements of lichen height have considerable potential for monitoring of changes in lichen resources within reindeer husbandry
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- Åhman, Birgitta, et al.
(författare)
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Role of supplementary feeding in reindeer husbandry
- 2022
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Ingår i: Reindeer husbandry and global environmental change. - London : Routledge. - 9780367632670 - 9780367632687 - 9781003118565 ; , s. 232-248, s. 233-247
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Bokkapitel (refereegranskat)abstract
- The chapter discusses the practice of providing reindeer with supplementary feed in winter as part of reindeer husbandry in Finland, Sweden and Norway. It describes how feeding is practised, and the benefits and problems connected with this practice, as perceived in the scientific literature and by herders. It also reflects on the possible future role of feeding. Feeding of reindeer is more common in Finland than in the other two countries but seems to be gradually increasing across all Fennoscandia. The main reason is the continuing loss and deterioration of winter pastures due to expanding land use by forestry, mineral and energy production and other industrial and infrastructure schemes, leading to increased grazing pressure on the remaining land. Climate change increases the frequency of difficult winter grazing conditions, and growing predator populations restrict the use of pastures for reindeer grazing. Reduced access to natural pasture can be counteracted by supplementary feeding, but at high costs and risks of impaired animal health and welfare. Herders are also concerned that increased use of feeding may threaten land rights, transfer of traditional knowledge between generations and the ability of reindeer to make use of natural pasture resources, and thereby the traditional management system as a whole.
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| 10. |
- Åhman, Birgitta, et al.
(författare)
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High female mortality resulting in herd collapse in free-ranging domesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) in Sweden
- 2014
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Ingår i: PLOS ONE. - : Public Library of Science (PLoS). - 1932-6203. ; 9:10
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Reindeer herding in Sweden is a form of pastoralism practised by the indigenous Sami population. The economy is mainly based on meat production. Herd size is generally regulated by harvest in order not to overuse grazing ranges and keep a productive herd. Nonetheless, herd growth and room for harvest is currently small in many areas. Negative herd growth and low harvest rate were observed in one of two herds in a reindeer herding community in Central Sweden. The herds (A and B) used the same ranges from April until the autumn gathering in October-December, but were separated on different ranges over winter. Analyses of capture-recapture for 723 adult female reindeer over five years (2007-2012) revealed high annual losses (7.1% and 18.4%, for herd A and B respectively). A continuing decline in the total reindeer number in herd B demonstrated an inability to maintain the herd size in spite of a very small harvest. An estimated breakpoint for when herd size cannot be kept stable confirmed that the observed female mortality rate in herd B represented a state of herd collapse. Lower calving success in herd B compared to A indicated differences in winter foraging conditions. However, we found only minor differences in animal body condition between the herds in autumn. We found no evidence that a lower autumn body mass generally increased the risk for a female of dying from one autumn to the next. We conclude that the prime driver of the on-going collapse of herd B is not high animal density or poor body condition. Accidents or disease seem unlikely as major causes of mortality. Predation, primarily by lynx and wolverine, appears to be the most plausible reason for the high female mortality and state of collapse in the studied reindeer herding community.
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