There is only one explanation and that is climate change, says Jan Rannerud, chairman of the Sami Parliament's reindeer herding committee, to SVT.
During the winter, it has snowed, then thawed and frozen again. This makes it impossible for the reindeer to get through the ice layer to reach the grazing land – so-called locked grazing land.
When the grazing land is so poor, one is forced to provide supplementary feeding to the reindeer – which becomes expensive. The Sami villages can then apply for economic support, so-called disaster damage protection.
We have experienced a winter that is not like any other winter and it is deeply unfortunate for us, says Rannerud.
Last year, 26 Sami villages applied for disaster damage protection, but the problems have occurred for several years. The last time it was as bad as this year was in 2001, when the government was forced to provide extra economic support, reports SVT News Sápmi.
