Economic Seminar - Erlend Sandorf (School of Economics and Business, NMBU)

Reindeer herding in the face of climate change: How do the Saami adapt?

Abstract:
Both climate- and land-use change threaten the very essence of what it means to be a traditional Saami reindeer herder and potentially the ability of future generations to uphold this way of life; underlining both the cultural and economic costs. We report on a set of contingent valuation questions to improve the understanding of how reindeer herders adapt to climate change by either using supplementary feed or reducing their herd to ensure that future generations can uphold the traditional way of life. We find that there are two groups of reindeer herders, those that are willing to use supplementary feed indefinitely and those who state they will reduce their herd immediately rather than use supplementary feed. We find that the cultural bequest value ranges between 4 % and 13 % of current herd size depending on method used. This substantial value underlines the importance to the Saami and to society at large.