Rudolph’s Red alert...
»»They face extinction as Arctic warms »»Tourism threatened as snow fails
A HUNGRY reindeer picks its way over a sparse scattering of snow as soaring temperatures in the Arctic deprive it of the conditions it needs for survival.
Lapland’s reindeer thrive in winters of -30C and even colder, digging into the snow for food and grazing on lichen and mosses.
So when rain falls instead of snow during the coldest months, forming hard crusts of ice instead of the usual soft blanket, it makes the food inacessible to them.
Now one of the best-loved symbols of Christmas is potentially facing extinction.
Numbers have crashed by over half in the last two decades.
Many have starved to death, and calves have perished in sweltering summers as the region warms at four times the global average rate.
Anna Kristiina Ollila, a ninthgeneration herder from the northernmost part of Finland, says: “Our reindeer are hungry. The weather has become so unpredictable.
“Winters start much later and spring and summer are lasting longer.
“We had snow in October but it disappeared. Last year it didn’t come until just before Christmas.”
For 25 years Anna’s family have been feeding the reindeer during the winter, even though it is against herding tradition and is very costly.
Anna says it is necessary for their survival, “as a result of the changing climate”.
The semi-domesticated animals pull sleigh rides for tourists but this year the working herd had to be moved 60 miles further north due to the lack of snow.
The rides are part of a Lapland winter wonderland experience for thousands of British tourists each year but in some areas they have had to be cancelled, putting livelihoods at risk.
Anna, 49, head of the Reindeer Herders’ Association, says: “By mid-November, we used to have snow so we could offer rides but now there is just ice so it is not possible.”
It is a chilly -18C as I speak to Anna, one of Finland’s 7000 reindeer herders, known traditionally as boazovazzi – but she says this is warm for the area, where winters used to go as low as -50C.
However, now it can fluctuate from -20C one day to 0C the next. Anna says: “We know how to deal with winters – but the summers we are now experiencing are dangerous and what I am most scared of. The reindeer can’t handle the heat.”
She says the Arctic animals have very few sweat glands and retain a heavy insulation layer throughout the year, making it difficult for them to adapt to warmer weather.
Invasive flies and mosquitoes also cause problems.
Anna adds: “It is frustrating to hear politicians talk about climate change [at Glasgow’s COP26] when they don’t realise what is already going on.
“We have been living with the reality for the last 30 years.”
Lapland is often described as Europe’s last great wilderness, home to lynxes, brown bears, wolverines and golden eagles. In
July, it recorded its highest temperature since 1914, hitting 33.6C in a heatwave lasting for weeks, far above the region’s average July temperature of 19C.
Tourism is a big part of the economy and the town of Rovaniemi is also the “official home of Santa Claus”. Northern Lapland typically gets 20 to 30cm [8 to 12in]of snow by the end of November, and it is usually covered for around 175 days a year.
But rising temperatures are threatening its tourism industry.
A report by The Finnish Climate Change Panel in October warned of flooding and increased rainfall, with Rovaniemi most at risk. Another report by Dr Kaarina Tervo-Kankare of the University of
Oulu, central Finland, warned firms that rely on snow “will have dramatic impacts on visitation levels” and these industries may be forced further north. It added: “Operators in certain areas are highly concerned.”
Kristian Erkkilä of the Arctic Husky Park in Rovaniem says: “Tourists see pictures of the Santa Claus village covered in snow and when they get here they think, ‘Is this the winter wonderland?’.” The Husky Park bought a wheeled cart six years ago as an alternative to sleds for when the snow fails.
During our visit a local ski resort was pumping out fake snow. The nearby Kotisaari island stands out in the river Kemijoki – usually frozen over and covered with snow at this time of year. The unpredictable weather and increased cloud is also impacting the visibility of the Northern Lights.
It was previously thought the Arctic was warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. But a study released last week by scientists from Finland, the UK and US revealed the rate is actually four times the global average.
Dr Stephanie Lefrere, who has been studying moose and reindeer behaviour in the area for 20 years, says: “I remember temperatures dropping as low as -20C in midOctober. It also reached -40C in mid-February in 2001.
“But now winter is coming much later and spring much sooner. It is playing havoc with local wildlife. Polar bears are not the only Arctic animals suffering.
“They are all at risk.”
The summers we now have are dangerous