Home About Browse Search
Svenska


Persson, Anna-Marja, 2018. Status of supplementary feeding of reindeer in Sweden and its consequences. Second cycle, A2E. Umeå: SLU, Dept. of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies

[img]
Preview
PDF
1MB

Abstract

Reindeer husbandry in Sweden is suffering from great challenges, where fragmentation of the landscape and climate change are affecting winter grazing grounds. Lichen availability is seen as the bottleneck for further existence of this livelihood, but supplementary feeding has been used to different extents to compensate for the loss of lichen pastures. The status and the level of supplementary feeding of reindeer in Sweden is little documented. I conducted a questionnaire survey addressed to all the 51 reindeer herding districts in Sweden with the objectives to document the level of feeding, the practices being used during feeding and the experiences from feeding. Based on answers from 160 herders in 40 districts, I found that feeding was frequently practiced in almost all herding districts, although to different extent and for different reasons. Herders reported benefits of feeding such as better condition and higher survival for example; and problems with feeding such as feed related diseases, infectious outbreaks, and economic challenges due to expenses for feed and negative behavioral changes of the reindeer. Statistical analyses revealed that both calving success and reindeer body condition in autumn (based on carcass weights of slaughtered calves) could be correlated with the extent of feeding. For herders that had fed regularly during several years I found that calf carcass weight had increased over the time. The proportion of the costs, the extra work load and the long-term negative effects related to feeding need to be considered in relation to the possible benefits from feeding.

Main title:Status of supplementary feeding of reindeer in Sweden and its consequences
Authors:Persson, Anna-Marja
Supervisor:Singh, Navinder and Åhman, Birgitta
Examiner:Leonardsson, Kjell
Series:Examensarbete / SLU, Institutionen för vilt, fisk och miljö
Volume/Sequential designation:2018:15
Year of Publication:2018
Level and depth descriptor:Second cycle, A2E
Student's programme affiliation:SM003 Management of Fish and Wildlife Populations - Master's Programme 120 HEC
Supervising department:(S) > Dept. of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies
Keywords:Rangifer tarandus, reindeer husbandry, supplementary feeding, calf survival, calf carcass weight
URN:NBN:urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-s-9870
Permanent URL:
http://urn.kb.se/resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:slu:epsilon-s-9870
Subject. Use of subject categories until 2023-04-30.:Nature conservation and land resources
Language:English
Deposited On:22 Oct 2018 08:31
Metadata Last Modified:28 Feb 2019 08:15

Repository Staff Only: item control page

Downloads

Downloads per year (since September 2012)

View more statistics