Reproduction and productivity of semidomesticated reindeer in northern Finland

Abstract

The increase in the Finnish semidomesticated reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus) stock and the high level of meat production during the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s were mainly due to reindeer-management practices. However, the continuing deterioration of winter-range quality has now forced reindeer managers to invest increasingly in supplementary feeding. At the same time, carrying-capacity models for semidomesticated- reindeer ranges have proved difficult to develop. This study deals with reproduction and productivity of the reindeer stock in northern Finland during the period 1987-1995. The results reveal that reproduction and productivity of reindeer in the study area are largely regulated by density-dependent factors related to the quantity and quality of winter ranges. Reindeer densities on total rangeland had the strongest effect on the slaughter body masses of reindeer, which indicates the special importance of summer and autumn pastures for growth and autumn condition of reindeer. Through intensive calf slaughtering, the natural mortality rate was minimised and reproduction rates and reindeer meat production were increased, although winter ranges were heavy grazed. Developing semidomesticated-reindeer husbandry to be more economical in the future by keeping sustainable meat production at a sufficiently high level while maintaining reindeer rangeland in adequate condition and supplementary feeding quite marginal in Finland involves consideration of both ecological and management factors. One way of looking at the economic carrying capacity of Finnish semidomesticated-reindeer ranges is to develop a model based on dependence among the factors presented in this study. Sustainable net incomes from reindeer husbandry could then be optimised by studying and modelling the economy of reindeer management itself with respect to stock density.