<
https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20231219-how-reindeer-help-fight-climate-change>
'It's just after lunchtime, and darkness is already falling. Tiia Jeremejeff, a
reindeer herder in northern Finland, jumps on a snowmobile to go and feed her
family's herd, who are kept in a large enclosure in the winter. Her breath
freezes almost instantly in the bitter cold – it's -15C (5F) here in Kierinki,
110km (68 miles) north of the Arctic Circle. There is a thick cover of snow in
the forest, some 20cm (7.9in) deep.
"It's not easy, being a reindeer herder," says Jeremejeff, a woman of Sami
descent whose livelihood and culture is tightly intertwined with
reindeer-herding. "It's a harsh climate and we have to go out and feed them no
matter how cold it gets."
Now, emerging evidence suggests reindeer may play a fundamental role in helping
to preserve this entire ecosystem, including the snow cover, the open forest
with its low-growing berry bushes, mosses and lichen – an organism formed by a
close association of fungi and algae – and even the cold winter climate.
Research suggests that grazing reindeer may in fact help to fight some of the
effects of climate change in the Arctic, which is warming four times faster
than the rest of the planet.
Reindeer herding provides an income for more than 20 different indigenous
communities in the Arctic. In total, about 100,000 people are involved in
herding about 2.5 million domesticated reindeer in nine countries.
Traditionally, indigenous communities have also used reindeer for transport,
clothing and food. In the warmer months, the reindeer roam freely and feed on
lichen and other plants, trampling the ground as they go. In the process, they
prevent the growth of woody shrubs.
Called "shrubification", the growth of taller, woodier plants happens as an
open landscape gradually transforms into a forest. Shrub and forest cover may
generally sound desirable, but in the case of the Arctic landscape, it could
erase an ancient ecosystem characterised by open forests, known as boreal
forests, and the treeless Arctic tundra. Shrubification may also worsen the
impact of climate change, as research suggests that shrubs trap heat that thaw
the permafrost and warm up the tundra.
Research shows that global warming is in fact accelerating the shrubification
of the Arctic, as the warmer, longer growing seasons speed up plant growth.
This could lead to a cycle of more shrubs, more heat, and even more shrubs.
Reindeer help slow down this process and the greening of the tundra by eating
and trampling on plants. A study analysing satellite images of the shrub cover
in the Yamal Peninsula in north-west Siberia found that vegetation in the area
remained stable where there was a 75% increase in the reindeer population
between 1986 and 2016, despite increasing summer temperatures.
The authors of the report say reindeer grazing in the Yamal Peninsula appears
to have compensated for the effects of climate change. It has also helped
preserve the tundra habitat so native species such as mosses, lichen and
low-growing willows can continue to thrive.'
Via
Positive.News
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
