filed: November 29, 2024 • Finland, Norway, Russia, Sweden
Ancient reindeer migration routes disrupted by roads, dams – and now wind farms
Credit: Published: February 8, 2021 | Authors: Ilona Kater, PhD Candidate in Arctic Ecology; Robert Baxter, Associate Professor of Plant Ecology; Simone Abram, Professor in the Dept of Anthropology, Co-Director of Durham Energy Institute, Durham University | theconversation.com ~~
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Reindeer, or caribou as they’re known in North America, are impressive travellers. Herds made up of many thousands of animals can cover 5,000km each year in the far north of Europe, Siberia and Canada. This is one of the longest land migrations on Earth – but an ongoing transformation of the Arctic landscape threatens to break it up.
Roads, railways, mines, dams and tourist activities, such as snowmobile and husky trails, have disrupted the well-worn routes that reindeer follow each year, particularly across northern Europe. In one study, researchers found that reindeer in Norway lost 70% of undisturbed habitat during the 20th century. In Finland and Sweden, the figure is thought to be similar.
Even developments that might seem environmentally benign, or even beneficial, are now contributing to the problem. The number of wind turbines in Norway has quadrupled over the last decade, and reindeer herders recently filed a lawsuit against developers hoping to build what would be one of the country’s largest onshore wind farms.
https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2024/11/29/ancient-reindeer-migration-routes-disrupted-by-roads-dams-and-now-wind-farms/
