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Volkovitskiy A., Terekhina A. The contemporary issues of Yamal reindeer herding discussions and perspectives

A. Volkovitskiy - Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology UB RAS; Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology RAS Labytnangi, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation ORCID: 0000-0001-8767-0944
E-mail: vlk73@mail.ru

A. Terekhina - Arctic Research Station of Institute of Plant and Animal Ecology UB RAS; Federal Center of Theoretical and Applied Sociology RAS; Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography of the RAS Labytnangi, St. Petersburg, Russian Federation ORCID: 0000-0002-2949-0520
E-mail: arda-gavanj@mail.ru

 

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ABSTRACT. Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug has been long presented as the most reindeer-herding and the largest gas producing region of Russia. The synthesis of modern technologies and the “traditional way of life” has become the brand of Yamal. The outbreak of the Siberian plague in Yamal in the summer of 2016 attracted increased attention to the issues of reindeer herding. In the course of the remediation of the consequences of the epizootic, the world’s biggest domestic reindeer population, which used to be a source of pride for Yamalians, was declared to be the main ecological problem of the region, the reason of which was said to be in the livestock breeding methods of the Nenets. The anthrax and the issue of overgrazing provoked discussions among the scholars of different disciplines and demonstrated the need for the state regulation of reindeer herding. The article provides a review and an analysis of the recent critical events in the field of reindeer herding and the discourses of the parties involved, including the contradictory views of the representatives of natural and social sciences on the reasons of the anthrax outbreak and the problem of overgrazing.

 

DOI 10.31250/2618-8600-2020-2(8)-152-169
УДК 636 .29(57 1 . 121)

 

KEYWORDS: reindeer herding, Yamal, Yamalo- Nenets Autonomous Okrug, Nenets, Siberian plague, resources, ecosystem

 

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