Earth Equity News

Global Warming a Growing Threat to Reindeer. By Catherine Marciano, AFP, November 13, 2009. "On Norway's border with Russia, the consequences of climate change are affecting the reindeer population as rising temperatures hit food stocks and industry growth eats into vital grazing land... The reason: the lichen his animals graze on has become tougher to find as winter temperatures rise. The snow thaws, and along with rain, then freezes anew -- covering the ground in layers impervious to all but the most tenacious reindeer. Grazing land is also disappearing under the weight of industry as buildings, pipelines, roads and other infrastructure increasingly dot old pastures... Norwegian Sami follow the herd with vehicles, but their cousins in Russia still accompany the animals with sleds, camping as they go. But the drive, and the ability to follow the reindeer, has been increasingly hampered by industrialization." The reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) is also known as the caribou when wild in the North American Arctic. See: The difference between reindeer and caribou.