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Issue 2 (47)

A INTERVIEW WITH THE YAMAL HERDERS ABOUT REINDEER DIE-OFFAND THE FUTURE OF THE NENETS REINDEER HERDING
Year	2015	Number	2(47)
Pages	39-49	Type	scientific article
UDC	39(571.121)	BBK	63.521(=667)
Authors	Perevalova Elena V.	Topic	MOBILITY IN THE ARCTIC
Summary	The Yamal peninsula has the highest density of domestic reindeer population in the Russian Arctic and the Arctic region in general; about 1,200 Nenets herder-households are migrating in these territories together with the herds. The article demonstrated that the transition to market economy did not cause a degradation of the industry, on the contrary, it gave stimulus for the development of reindeer herding based on the tradition nomadic technologies. The article describes the specifics of the Nenets herding practices based on the ethnic triad — a deer as the main life support resource, nomadic mobility as the technology with high adaptivity potential, and the “reindeer + mobility” as the fundamental philosophy. The reasons for a significant increase of the deer population in the 1990–2000 (favorable climatic conditions, demographic growth and other social and economic factors) as well as its negative consequences (overcrowding of the Yamal tundra, zoo-anthropogenic depletion of pasture lands) were discussed. Pasturing of the growing herds in a shrinking territory because of the appropriation of land for the gas and oil industry infrastructure resulted in a decrease of migration routes, decrease of nomadic mobility and the loss of flexibility of available responses to the natural and anthropogenic challenges. A series of natural disasters in 2013–2014 resulted in a mass die-off of reindeer in the Yamal moving temporarily aside the problem of relationship between the oil companies and the nomadic herders. However a new wave of industrial expansion will inevitably aggravate competition for ownership of land and other natural resources of the peninsula. The article is based on an interview with the herders of the Yamal district covering a wide range of problems related to the future of the Nenets reindeer herding, and reflects their views and understanding of the current situation.
Keywords	Nenets reindeer, Yamal, nomadic mobility, loss of deer in 2013-2014, industrial expansion
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