During a powerful side event at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) inNew York on 22 April 2025, Indigenous reindeer herders, Sámi political leaders, and international experts came together to highlight the growing pressures facing nomadic pastoralist communities in the Arctic and sub-Arctic. With land fragmentation accelerating, participants warned that reindeer herding is approaching a dangerous tipping point, threatening both cultural survival and ecological balance.
Co-hosted by the American Museum of Natural History, the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry (ICR), and the GEF-UNEP Reindeer Herding and Resilience Project, the side event underscored the deep cultural and ecological importance of Indigenous nomadic pastoralism and the urgent need for action.
“Reindeer herding is a nomadic civilization of the Arctic,” said Anders Oskal, Secretary General of World Reindeer Herders and Executive Director of ICR. “Land degradation and fragmentation are not just environmental issues; they threaten the very existence of the Indigenous civilization.”
From the emotional and mental health impacts described by Per-Olof Nutti, President of the Sámi Council, to the legal and governance challenges detailed by Sámi Parliament leaders in Norway and Finland, the panelists shared personal, community-rooted perspectives on what is at stake.
Youth voices, including Sara-Elvira Kuhmunen, President of the Sámi Youth Association in Sweden, spoke out against green energy projects that bypass Indigenous rights. “For us, the so-called green transition is a dark transition if it sacrifices Indigenous rights,”she warned.
Representatives from Mongolia, like Khongorzul Mungunshagai of the Dukha herders, shared how conservation laws threaten to lock communities into unsustainable patterns, undermining centuries-old traditions.
Speakers called for more ethical research and Indigenous-led monitoring efforts, as well as cooperation between knowledge holders, scientists, and policy-makers. As the session closed, momentum was already building for global recognition of Indigenous pastoralists during the UN’s upcoming International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists (2026).
This article is adapted from original reporting published by the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry. For the full version, visit Reindeerherding.org.
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