The climate adaptation of Sapmi communities through collaboration
Climate change is creating significant challenges for reindeer husbandry in northern Sweden. Rising temperatures, changing patterns of precipitation and increasingly unpredictable weather conditions are threatening reindeer pasture and impacting the living conditions of Sami economic and administrative collectives, the samebys. Some samebys are collaborating with county administrative boards, the Sami Parliament, the National Union of the Swedish Saami People (SSR) and the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) to strengthen their resilience. With the aid of climate vulnerability assessments and climate adaptation plans, they are now actively getting to grips with the issues and looking towards the future.
The example in brief
- Groundbreaking work is underway in Gran sameby to meet the challenges of climate change by combining traditional Sami knowledge with scientific methods. A project involving climate risk and vulnerability assessments is underway to identify risks and create a platform for long-term climate adaptation.
- The results are being used by the board of the sameby in its ongoing work to develop and plan reindeer husbandry, as well as to increase knowledge in general.
- Workshops on issues of relevance to the sameby’s members were held to prepare concrete proposals and encourage everyone to participate. Transparency and the support of all involved were crucial and these were reinforced by the fact that the sameby itself led the process, rather than outside researchers.
Reindeer husbandry is deeply rooted in Sami culture and is directly dependent on the climate. The impact of climate change has already been felt, such as in ice formation that blocks access to the reindeers’ winter pasture and longer vegetation periods that alter the nutritional value of pasture.
The situation becomes more acute with each passing year
With each passing year, the situation becomes more acute. Temperature changes that cause pasture loss, longer vegetation periods, more forest fires and larger insect populations make it more and more difficult to conduct traditional reindeer husbandry.
At the same time, the biodiversity in the fells is undergoing major changes. Increased temperatures and humidity benefit certain species but threaten others, at the risk of disrupting the balance of the ecosystem.
“It is not only us and the reindeer who are affected. We are already seeing how elk, foxes and other animals are suffering because of these changes,” says Marja Skum, a member of Gran sameby.
A collaborative project based around climate risk and vulnerability assessments
There are 51 samebys in Sweden. Although literally translated the Swedish term sameby means “Sami village”, it does not refer to a physical location but to a geographical area within which reindeer husbandry is conducted. A sameby is organised as an economic and administrative association of Sami with its own elected board.
To meet the challenges of climate change, a collaborative project has been initiated involving the Sami Parliament, the County Administrative Boards of Norrbotten, Västerbotten, Jämtland, Västernorrland and Dalarna, the National Union of the Swedish Saami People (SSR) and the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI). The purpose of the project is to assist samebys in performing climate risk and vulnerability assessments to identify the major climate risks and provide a systematic approach on which to develop climate adaptation measures.
The climate risk and vulnerability assessments have been key to the project, combining traditional Sami knowledge with scientific climate models and plausible future scenarios. By analysing factors such as temperature rises, precipitation and growing seasons, samebys have obtained a clear picture of the challenges that await them and an idea of the measures they can take right now.
“We are already experiencing climate change that is having a far-reaching impact on reindeer husbandry during the wintertime. This is why we chose to initially focus on the bare-ground period. Among other things, we saw that the average temperature is rising and that this will affect how we work with reindeer during the summertime. For example, we mark the calves in July but in the future it will be too hot then, so we need to adapt our practices,” explains Anna-Marja Kaddik of Gran sameby.
An increase in average temperature will affect the marking of reindeer, which is currently done during the summer. In the future, it will be too hot and the timing for marking will need to be adapted accordingly. Photo Anna-Marja Kaddik
Examples of future needs
One concrete example is the need to deal with extended periods with bare ground. Samebys were already aware that unstable weather was making winters more difficult and climate data showed rising temperatures and an extended period with bare ground. This prompted a reassessment of plans for the future location of pastures for migrating reindeer.
Climate data has also helped to identify areas that need better protection to secure reindeer habitats.
“While we have not identified solutions to all of the challenges posed by climate change, we now have the knowledge and can give it due consideration in our future plans,” says Anna-Marja Kaddik.
Collaboration provides solutions and hope
Despite the challenges of climate change, working with climate risk and vulnerability assessments has strengthened the samebys. In Gran sameby, planning is already underway to change pastures and migration routes to adapt to new climate conditions. The members have also discussed which areas need to be better protected in order to preserve important habitats.
“It feels tough at times when you look at future scenarios, but this analysis has given us a sense of control. We now know what we need to work on and can prioritise our efforts,” says Marja Skum.
In Gran sameby, planning is underway to change pastures and migration routes. There is also a dialogue concerning which areas need to be better protected to preserve important reindeer habitats. Photo Anna-Marja Kaddik.
Funding
The project is financed with funds set aside for samebys’ climate adaptation work. These funds allowed the samebys to perform climate risk and vulnerability assessments, prepare action plans and begin to implement specific measures.
“Without these resources, we would not have been able to perform the assessments and make progress with the project while going about our daily work. Continued funding has been crucial. What remains now is to find funding for the measures we have identified,” says Anna-Marja Kaddik.
Evaluation
Experience gained from the project shows that the leadership of the samebys themselves is crucial to success. The climate risk and vulnerability assessments have not only provided a clear picture of the most acute risks, but also verified much of what was already apparent through traditional knowledge, as well as supporting systematic efforts to reduce the impact of climate change on their activities.
The results of the project will be continuously evaluated to ensure that they lead to the long-term sustainability of both reindeer husbandry and nature.
“We have learned how we can prioritise measures and plan for the future, and we know that this work is an ongoing process,” concludes Marja Skum.