On March 29-30, 2017, Arkhangelsk in Northwest Russia will host a regular The Arctic — Territory of Dialogue international Arctic forum. Held annually since 2010, the forum is one of the the largest international platform for discussing problems facing the Arctic and prospects for regional development.Russian President Vladimir Putin and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin are expected to attend the forum. The EALLU project is hosting an Arctic indigenous peoples cuisine event at the Forum, which is expected to be attended by over 1,000 people. Traditional foods of reindeer peoples – Eveny, Evenki, Sami and Nenets – will be served and information about the EALLU project will be distributed. A large team from ICR is present, along with many of the EALLU youth participants. The programme is posted here (still being added to)
Today the 4th Congress of Reindeer Herders of Russia is getting underway in the city of Yakutsk. This picture shows part of a delegation of reindeer from Olenek flying down to Yakutsk (in First class. This is a 2h45 minute flight, which as you can see offers in fight service!
On March 10, 2017 in Yakutsk (Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russia) the plenary session of the II Congress of the Union of Minor Indigenous Communities in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) was held, with participation of 63 delegates from 20 municipal districts of Yakutia.
The first meeting of the Union was organised exactly 5 years ago in 2012, said now the former Chair – Aleksandr Grigoriev. Aleksard also noted that during these 5 years the organizetion has done a great deal of work: the number of minor indigenous communities has grown from 91 to 164. One of the important vectors of the Union is land surveying, registering the land in cadastrial records. Minor indigenous communities take an active part in public hearings on industrial development, and in creating territories for traditional nature use. There are 59 territories of traditional nature use of local significance exist now.
The IV Reindeer Herders Congress of Russia will be held in Yakutsk on March 16-19, 2017. Delegates and guests from 20 Russian reindeer herding regions and foreign guests are expected to arrive.
Participants will discuss the main problems and directions in the development of the Northern domestic reindeer industry of the country, they also will discuss the strengthening of relationships between reindeer herding regions of Russia, exchange experience in the field of reindeer herding.
Traditional reindeer herding holiday, which is called Uktyvun in Evenki, started on the 1st of March in the village of Iengra, Neryunrinsky District of Yakutia. Indigenous representatives from all the reindeer herding family communities, who spend most of the year with their herds in the taiga, came to the village to celebrate.
The 6th World Reindeer Herders Congress will take place in the Sámi village of Jokkmokk in northern Sweden between August 16-20, 2017.
The Congress occurs every four years (the last Congress was held in China) and brings council members of the Association of World Reindeer Herders from all around the world together. There will be a a host of meetings, scientific sessions and cultural sessions and the event promises to be a great celebration of reindeer and reindeer peoples.
The registration form is now on the 6WRHC website and the draft programme has also been posted here.
A major seminar with youth from across the circumpolar North (Russia, Canada, US, Finland, Norway and Sweden) is getting underway in Kautokeino tomorrow February 1-3 at the Sami University of Applied Sciences. Organized under the auspices of the EALLU and RIEVDAN projects that both focus on traditional knowledge with an emphasis (especially EALLU) on traditional food cultures and systems of indigenous peoples in the Arctic. Much is reindeer related, of course, but other Arctic traditional foods will also be featured. Seminar results and products will also feed into the EALLU final delivery (an Arctic ‘cookbook’) to the Arctic Council at the Ministerial, to be held in Alaska, in May of this year.
The seminar will feature talks, group work and slaughtering of reindeer. Photos to follow, draft programme below.
A seminar on the use of traditional knowledge as a means and tool to preserve biodiversity is being held in Kautokeino, Norway tomorrow, Tuesday, 31 February.
The seminar is being held in advance of the CAFF biennial meeting which is also being held in Kautokeino this week. Multiple speakers from different institutions and researchers will be speaking including the Saami Council (Aile Javo), the Sami Parliament in Norway (President Vibeke Larsen), the Herzen Institute in St Petersburg, the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). The meeting will be held in the Sami University of Applied Sciences. See the (draft) programme below.
“Keepers of the Land” is shown in Monaco in the presence of HSH the Sovereign Prince Albert II
Director of the International Centre for Reindeer Husbandry and also a representative of the of the UArctic EALAT Institute Anders Oskal within the partnership with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, gave a presentation with regard to the current situation and the rapid changes in reindeer herding areas of the Arctic experienced by this region.
The meeting was launched on 11th January at the Lycée Technique et Hôtelier of Monaco, in the presence of HSH the Sovereign Prince. During his presentation Anders shared a documentary called “The Keepers of the Land” with Prince Albert II of Monaco and with the audience which was mainly represented by the students from “Students On Ice” programme.
Reindeer are helping to slow down climate change by grazing on Arctic tundra and leaving vegetation that reflects more solar energy back into space.
Reindeer are best known – at least in much of the northern hemisphere – for pulling Santa’s sleigh, but a new study suggests they may have a part to play in slowing down climate change too.
A team of researchers, writing in the journal Environmental Research Letters, found that when reindeer reduce the height and abundance of shrubs on the Arctic tundra through grazing, the level of surface albedo – the amount of solar energy (shortwave radiation) reflected by the Earth back into space – is increased.
The study’s lead author, Dr Mariska te Beest, from Umeå University in Sweden, said: “Our theory was that heavy grazing by reindeer increases summer albedo, through a reduction in shrub height, abundance and leaf area index (LAI).
On March 29-30, 2017, Arkhangelsk in Northwest Russia will host a regular The Arctic — Territory of Dialogue international Arctic forum. Held annually since 2010, the forum is one of the the largest international platform for discussing problems facing the Arctic and prospects for regional development.Russian President Vladimir Putin and Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Rogozin are expected to attend the forum. The EALLU project is hosting an Arctic indigenous peoples cuisine event at the Forum, which is expected to be attended by over 1,000 people. Traditional foods of reindeer peoples – Eveny, Evenki, Sami and Nenets – will be served and information about the EALLU project will be distributed. A large team from ICR is present, along with many of the EALLU youth participants. The programme is posted here (still being added to)
On March 10, 2017 in Yakutsk (Republic of Sakha (Yakutia), Russia) the plenary session of the II Congress of the Union of Minor Indigenous Communities in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) was held, with participation of 63 delegates from 20 municipal districts of Yakutia. 
The IV Reindeer Herders Congress of Russia will be held in Yakutsk on March 16-19, 2017. Delegates and guests from 20 Russian reindeer herding regions and foreign guests are expected to arrive.
Traditional reindeer herding holiday, which is called Uktyvun in Evenki, started on the 1st of March in the village of Iengra, Neryunrinsky District of Yakutia. Indigenous representatives from all the reindeer herding family communities, who spend most of the year with their herds in the taiga, came to the village to celebrate. 
The 6th World Reindeer Herders Congress will take place in the Sámi village of Jokkmokk in northern Sweden between August 16-20, 2017. 
A major seminar with youth from across the circumpolar North (Russia, Canada, US, Finland, Norway and Sweden) is getting underway in Kautokeino tomorrow February 1-3 at the Sami University of Applied Sciences. Organized under the auspices of the 
Reindeer are helping to slow down climate change by grazing on Arctic tundra and leaving vegetation that reflects more solar energy back into space.
