The role of wild reindeer as a flagship species in new management models in Norway

Abstract

Wild reindeer are under pressure from human development projects throughout their habitat.Norway is currently making a significant move to establish a new management model based on national reindeer regions and regional management plans. A focus on wild reindeer as a flagship species allows the species to be included as a broad conservation objective in complex land-use plans. The authors surveyed a representative sample of residents in the Rondane and Setesdal regions to examine their perceptions of the current status of reindeer and how management relates to other social and development issues. Local actors and institutions, including hunters, were perceived as more responsible and suited to make decisions about reindeer population sizes and management objectives than non-local actors.There was little local consensus on the role of human impacts on wild reindeer, and residents rated local knowledge higher than scientific knowledge for management purposes. Rondane residents attached more importance to reindeer than Setesdal residents, but the latter saw reindeer as more threatened by human development. New management approaches will need to take a social-ecological perspective and recognize that the inclusion of reindeer can enhance broader conservation goals at regional, national, and international levels, but may also escalate local social conflicts.

Linking Social Values of Wild Reindeer to Planning and Management Options in Southern Norway

“…The study area covers Rondane and Setesdal, two mountain regions in southern Norway, where new regional plans for wild reindeer management are now being implemented (Fig. 1) (Miljøverndepartementet, 2005;Hongslo and Lundberg, 2012;Kaltenborn et al, 2014). Both regions include extensive reindeer habitat, rugged terrain, and a range of competing land use interests (grazing, forestry, tourism, second homes).…”

“…However, wild reindeer interests compete with other cornerstone activities like tourism, second-home development, agriculture, hydropower, and the sprawl of infrastructure, which have significant negative impacts on spatial use and movement of wild reindeer (Strand et al, 2010). The wildlife science perspective often contradicts lay perceptions of the wild reindeer as a robust species that is capable of inhabiting landscapes with different levels of human impact (Kaltenborn et al, 2014). Moreover, wild reindeer range requirements have repeatedly been used as a salient argument for establishing protection areas within their ranges.…”

Spatiotemporal tourism pattern in a large reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) range as an important factor in disturbance research and management

“…Today, a new form of disturbance is on the rise. Tourism development in the form of outdoor recreation is rapidly increasing in rural regions and presents a new disturbance regime (Kaltenborn et al, 2014a). The challenge is to quantify it and discern how it affects reindeer.…”