With this call NKJ aims to strengthen Nordic collaboration and promote knowledge exchange across national borders through workshops, conferences, and seminars. Transdisciplinary networks connecting researchers and stakeholders are especially encouraged.

Funding details and requirements
Approved networks may receive up to 300,000 SEK from NKJ, covering up to 50% of the total network budget. To qualify, networks must include participants from at least three countries and three research institutions in the Nordic region. Networks must also emphasize gender balance, with a minimum of 40% representation from each gender. NKJ also welcomes persons of other genders to apply. The networks also have to actively involve PhD students and early-career researchers.

Key focus areas
Reindeer husbandry is a cornerstone of the Nordic Arctic economy, Sami culture, and regional bioeconomy. However, it faces critical challenges due to climate change, land-use changes, and increasing predation pressure. Networks focusing on these challenges will be prioritized. Networks addressing other aspects of reindeer husbandry are also welcome to apply.

Expected outcomes
Funded networks are expected to contribute to the Nordic community by, for example:

• Facilitating knowledge exchange through events and publications
• Producing policy recommendations and research applications
• Supporting the development of tools such as databases or communication platforms

Application process
Applications must be submitted via the NKJ website by March 28, 2025, at 24:00 CET. A detailed application form, including a description of aims, activities, participants, and budget, is required. Funding decisions will be announced in April 2025.

Application form (deadline March 28, 2025)

Call text

CONTACT
For more details and to access the application form, visit the NKJ website or contact the NKJ secretariat at NKJ@slu.se.

About NKJ
NKJ is a Nordic collaboration body under the Nordic Council of Ministers. Its mission is to promote knowledge-based agriculture and food research, including reindeer husbandry, across the Nordic countries.

The side event is a panel debate on traditional, local, and scientific knowledge, and how to bridge different knowledge systems for thriving livelihoods and well-functioning governance in reindeer husbandry. During this panel we will hear perspectives from Norway, Sweden and Finland on how to bridge different knowledge systems when making decisions, policies and research.

The debate is hosted by The Nordic Reindeer Committee, with Mika Survonen (president of the Nordic Reindeer Committee, Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry in Finland) and Sirpa Rasmus (University of Lapland). Panelists will be:
• Marja-Kristin Skum, reindeer herder and secretary at the Truth Commission for the Sami people in Sweden
• Svein Morten Eilertsen, research scientist at NIBIO, Division of Forest and Forest Resources Wildlife and Rangelands in Norway
• Sanna Hast, land-use specialist at the Reindeer Herders’ Association in Finland
• Bruce Forbes, Research professor at the Arctic Centre, University of Lapland

Physically the side event will take place in Ylläs, Finland, but for interested who is not visiting the Reindeer and Fish Science Days, it will be live streamed August 27, 09.00–11.00 Finnish time (08.00–10.00 CEST).

Sign up by sending an email to nkj@slu.se to register for the online event and you will be sent a link to Zoom.

Agenda
09.00–09.30 Introductions and presentations
09.30–10.40 Panel discussion
10.40–11.00 Closing remarks

Sirviö Tapani, chairman of the working group, was the first speaker at the webinar. He spoke about the goal of the working group to bring together authorities, reindeer husbandry practitioners, researchers and nature conservation organizations to take part in a dialogue. It turned out to be a fruitful dialogue, that resulted in eight goals for the future.

The eight goals were presented on the webinar by Sirpa Rasmus, the reporting secretary in the working group.

1 The first point deals with the reindeer grazing species-specific management and utilization plans for the reindeer pastures that have been developed, that are being tested in pilot trials in 2023. The working group suggests listening to the experiences from the trials, and proceeding with the plans as they are formulated today. A reduction in the number of reindeer by 7% is considered by the working group to be sufficient to prevent grazing pressure from becoming too heavy.

2 The working group believe it is important to develop a producer organization in order to strengthen the bargaining power of reindeer husbandry on the market, and thereby increase the possibilities for good profitability.

3 Climate change affects reindeer husbandry. The legislation that provides compensation for losses in connection with extreme weather needs to be developed, as well as the industry’s own tools to reduce the effects of weather- and environmental conditions, as well as animal diseases.

4 Today’s price and operational support should be changed to a support that is not linked to production volume, to become an income transfer for the producer. This needs to be further investigated and a new system introduced by way of a transition period.

5 Reindeer herding is a living part of the cultural heritage of the local communities in the reindeer herding area, and is strongly linked to the language and other culture of the indigenous people. The proposal is to investigate through research whether the current support system fulfills its purpose.

6 A foundation could function as a tool to simultaneously secure the reindeer’s habitat and maintain and strengthen a diverse mountain nature. The two interests often coincide.

7 Land use issues become more and more tangible and create conflicts. Therefore, active work must be done to create dialogue between the parties that are affected.

8 Monitoring and observation systems are important for reindeer husbandry to be able to adapt to new conditions.

Another issue touched upon by the working group is predator management. This was also an issue that was raised in the discussion by the participants of the webinar. The working group thinks it is necessary to find models for how to avoid predator damage to reindeer, while following the plans for the management of the predator tribes that exist. Reindeer management, land use, but also the examination of the damage and the estimation of the predator strains can be developed in this respect.

Sirpa Rasmus presentation

Svensk text
Rennäringen i Finland är på rätt väg. Bevarande av den biologiska mångfalden, olika intressen av markanvändning och ett hållbart, framtida renbete – allt ryms i planen som en arbetsgrupp har lagt upp. Detta framkom vid ett webbinarium arrangerat av NKJ tisdagen 9 maj.

Sirviö Tapani, ordförande för arbetsgruppen, inledde webbinariet genom att berätta om hur arbetsgruppen har velat sammanföra myndigheter, rennäring, forskare och naturvårdsorganisationer i en dialog. Det blev en fruktbar dialog, som också ledde arbetsgruppen fram till åtta mål för framtiden.

De åtta målen presenterades på webbinariet av Sirpa Rasmus, rapporteringssekreterare i arbetsgruppen.

1 Den första punkten handlar om de renbeteslagsspecifika skötsel- och nyttjandeplaner för renbetesmarkerna som tagits fram, och också testas i pilotförsök under 2023. Arbetsgruppen föreslår att man lyssnar till erfarenheterna från försöken, och går vidare med planerna så som de är formulerade idag. En minskning av antalet renar med 7% anser arbetsgruppen räcker för att betestrycket inte ska bli för stort.

2 Arbetsgruppen tycker att det är viktigt att utveckla en producentorganisation för att stärka rennäringens förhandlingskraft på marknaden, och därmed öka möjligheterna för en god lönsamhet.

3 Klimatförändringarna påverkar rennäringen. Lagstiftningen som ger ersättning vid förluster i samband med extremt väder behöver utvecklas, liksom näringen egna verktyg för att minska effekterna av väder- och naturförhållanden och djursjukdomar.

4 Dagens pris- och insatsstöd bör förändras till ett stöd som inte är kopplat till produktionen, för att bli en inkomst för producenten. Detta behöver utredas och ett nytt system införas via en övergångsperiod.

5 Renskötseln är en levande del av lokalsamfundens kulturarv i renskötselområdet, och är starkt kopplad till ursprungsfolkets språk och övriga kultur. Förslaget är att genom forskning utreda om det nuvarande stödsystemet fyller sitt syfte.

6 En stiftelse skulle kunna fungera som ett verktyg för att samtidigt trygga renarnas livsrum och upprätthålla och stärka en mångsidig fjällnatur. De båda intressena sammanfaller ofta.

7 Markanvändningsfrågor blir mer och mer påtagliga och skapar konflikter. Därför måste ett aktivt arbete göras för att skapa dialog mellan de parter som påverkas.

8 Övervaknings- och observationssystem är viktiga för att rennäringen ska kunna anpassa sig till nya förhållanden.

En annan fråga som berörts av arbetsgruppen är rovdjurshanteringen. Det var också en fråga som deltagarna på webbinariet tog upp till diskussion. Arbetsgruppen tycker att det är nödvändigt att hitta modeller för hur rovdjursskador på ren ska undvikas, samtidigt som man följer de planer för hanteringen av rovdjursstammarna som finns. Renskötseln, markanvändningen, men också granskningen av skadorna och uppskattningen av rovdjursstammarna kan utvecklas i det här avseendet.

The topic of the 2022 conference was challenges to reindeer husbandry, in particular the impact of predators, as well as consequences of a changing climate in Sweden, Finland and Norway. The conference contained four parts: Part 1: Loss of reindeer to predators, Part 2: Governance, Part 3: Ongoing research projects and Part 4:  Reindeer husbandry in a changing climate. The report gives a summary of the presentations and discussions in each part.

The report also gives a long list of key take-aways from the conference. The importance of synthesis between traditional and scientific knowledge is one of the twelve points in the list. Download the report (below) to see all of the messages the participating researchers, authorities, organisations and stakeholders underline.

The Nordic Conference on Reindeer Husbandry was arranged 9-10 November 2022 at NIBIO Svanhovd, Pasvik, Norway.

Download report

See the recorded presentations from the conference

“Feeding related diseases and other threats to reindeer populations” is the title of the fourth workshop within the TARANDUS network. Read about the three previous ones.

The event will take place in Norway on 7-8^th of March 2023. The venue is the Sommarøy Arctic Hotel. More information is available here. The workshop will also be livestreamed in Teams.

Target group for this workshop are reindeer researchers, veterinarians, particularly those working in the reindeer herding regions, and other stakeholders focusing on reindeer husbandry and climate change adaptation.

The registration is closed, but it’s still possible to attend online. Program is available here. If you have questions about the TARANDUS network membership and activities, please send an email to Anna (anna.omazic@sva.se).

The workshop will be coordinated by UiT the Arctic University of Norway and the Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, in cooperation with the National Veterinary Institute (SVA), Sweden.