The present-day consensus is that overgrazing of Swedish reindeer ranges has been temporary and local, and that it rarely has caused permanent damage. Today, many scientists actually fear that parts of the Fennoscandia mountain range are becoming overgrown because of limited grazing pressure.
This paper details a protocol developed by an international team of experts on reindeer ecology convened by MISTRA-Evidence-based Environmental Management (
EviEM), which is hosted by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm.
The aim is to extract quantitive data with relevance to reindeer management in the Swedish mountains. These data have been requested by the Swedish Parliament and the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency.
The present-day consensus is that overgrazing of Swedish reindeer ranges has been temporary and local, and that it rarely has caused permanent damage. Today, many scientists actually fear that parts of the Fennoscandia mountain range are becoming overgrown because of limited grazing pressure. The expert team will review the relevant literature and draw conclusions based on the best available scientific evidence.
The team members represent Finland, Norway and Sweden and are conducting a complete search and critical review of all published literature from around the world concerning reindeer (and caribou) grazing/browsing/trampling impacts.
Research Professor Bruce Forbes from the Arctic Centre was one of the authors.
Publication:
Bernes, C., K.A. Bråthen, B.C. Forbes, A. Hofgaard, J. Moen and J.D.M. Speed (2013)
What are the impacts of reindeer/caribou (Rangifer tarandus L.) on arctic and alpine vegetation? A systematic review protocol. Environmental Evidence 2: 6 doi:10.1186/2047-2382-2-6.