About

ABOUT THE ARCTIC UNGULATE SOCIETY - AUS

The series of Arctic Ungulate Conferences was started by an initiative by Jack Luick, David Klein and Robert White, who organized the First International Reindeer/Caribou Symposium, held at Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1972. Then 7 years went by until the Second International Reindeer/Caribou Symposium was held at Røros, Norway, in 1979. Thereafter International Reindeer/Caribou Symposia were organized on a tri-annual basis: the Third at Saariselkä, Finland, in 1982, the Fourth at Whitehorse, Canada, in 1985, the Fifth at Arvidsjaur, Sweden, in 1988 and the Sixth was due to be held at Nuuk, Greenland, in 1991. However, in 1984, a First International Muskox Symposium was held at Fairbanks, Alaska, later to be followed by the Second International Muskox Symposium at Saskatoon, Canada, in 1987. At the time of the Nuuk symposium in 1991 it was realized that there was not enough material to go around for both tri-annual reindeer/caribou and muskox symposia, since both meetings were catering for the same group of people. It was therefore decided that a conference dealing with all arctic ungulates should be held every four years, and the Nuuk meeting therefore became the First International Arctic Ungulate Conference in 1991. The Second International Arctic Ungulate Conference was held in due time at Fairbanks, Alaska, in 1995, but at the time for the third conference it had become clear that the terminology, based on three different series of conferences, was confusing and it was therefore decided that the next meeting would become the 10th International Arctic Ungulate Conference at Tromsø, Norway, in 1999. Thereafter the 11th International Arctic Ungulate Conference was held at Saariselkä, Finland, in 2003 the 12th at Yakutsk, Russia, in 2007 and the 13th at Yellowknife, Canada, in 2011. Since then, the meetings have continued every 4 years. At the Tromsø meeting in 1999, the “Arctic Ungulate Society”, which decides on the selection of venue and aid in the organization of upcoming conferencess, was created.

Arctic ungulate research

Canada

Northern Canada includes >150 wild caribou herds and 20 muskox populations. More than 2 millions caribou range across seven provinces and all three Canadian territories. The Canadian Species at Risk Act (SARA) recognizes three subspecies of caribou in Canada: Peary caribou, barren-ground, and woodland caribou and categorizes them in 12 Designatable Units to facilitate conservation and management (Figure 1). Indigenous people classify caribou into more specific groupings, distinct from the occidental scientific classification. Caribou inhabiting Northern and Arctic Canada consist of migratory woodland, barren-ground caribou and Peary caribou. Read more

Finland

Most reindeer in Finland are semi-domesticated. Reindeer husbandry is a traditional livelihood and a way of life for herders and their families. Semi-domesticated reindeer are iconic to Lapland. The livelihood is based on meat production, reindeer-related tourism activities and byproducts used in handicrafts.

The herding area covers 36% of Finland and includes 54 cooperatives. The maximum population is 203,700 reindeer (winter herd), owned by approximately 4,400 private owners. Reindeer ownership is not tied to ethnicity. The Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry regulates reindeer numbers, though the limit is often unmet due to predation and other causes of reindeer losses. Additional feeding is needed for reindeer survival, despite increasing costs of feed and energy. Read more

Iceland

The Icelandic reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) population descends from a small group of semi-domesticated animals introduced from Kautokeino, Norway, in the late 18th century. Their current range is limited to East Iceland, bounded by natural barriers such as glaciers and rivers, and in rare instances, by human intervention. Since their introduction, the presence of reindeer in Iceland has been controversial, but over time, they have become integral to the region's identity, fostering a culture of regulated hunting and conservation while gaining broad acceptance. Read more

Norway

Arctic ungulates in Norway include wild Svalbard reindeer (Rangifer tarandus platyrhynchus), wild and semi-domesticated reindeer (R. t. tarandus), and muskox (Ovibos moschatus). Although a natural inhabitant before the last ice age, the current muskox population originates from translocations from Greenland after the second world war. It is regarded as an introduced species and is only distributed (through strict management) within a limited area in Dovre, Southern Norway. Little research has been done on the muskoxen. In contrast, the Svalbard reindeer, the semi-domesticated reindeer, and the wild mainland reindeer have all been subject to heavy annual monitoring and extensive research for several decades. Read more

Russia

** Coming soon **

Sweden

In Sweden all reindeer are privately owned and herded within the Sámi reindeer husbandry pastoral system. Reindeer husbandry is based on the immemorial rights of the Sámi to use land and water for their reindeer. Reindeer are freely ranged within the areas of the 51 reindeer herding communities (in Swedish: samebyar) from Idre in the south to Könkämä in the north and covers 55 % of Sweden’s land surface or 226 000 km2. A herding community is both a geographical area with districts borders, where the reindeer are kept, and an economic association for the reindeer herders that keep the reindeer within that area. All reindeer herding communities have their winter pastures in the boreal forest. Read more

U.S.A.

IAlaska is the only state in the U.S.A within the Arctic and the only state that has free-roaming populations of caribou, reindeer, and muskoxen. Caribou are a native species that have thrived in Alaska but were extirpated from the rest of the U.S.A. in 2019. Caribou in Alaska number in the hundreds of thousands of individuals and are grouped into more than 30 herds. Muskoxen were extirpated in Alaska, the only state where they ever existed, by the late 1800s but were reintroduced in 1970. Muskoxen now number in the thousands. Reindeer were introduced to Alaska in 1892 due to perceived food insecurity. Some reindeer herds, primarily on the Seward Peninsula in western Alaska, are largely free-roaming and number in the thousands of individuals. Read more

Banner photo: Corentin Chaillon

Page updated

Google Sites

Report abuse