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Conservation efforts have secured the partial recovery of Eu-
rope’s wild reindeer (Rangifer tarandus tarandus), although
only in 24 separate fragments of their original range, now sep-
arated by resorts and roads (Nellemann
et al
., 2003; Vistnes
and Nellemann, 2009). A unique science-based broad support
in the parliament and by the Norwegian Government has re-
sulted in a rise in protected areas, so important for the reindeer
that otherwise reduce use or even entirely avoid areas subject
to hydropower, roads and resorts. However, full recovery of the
original range will require restoration of migration routes across
developed or disturbed areas to reestablish former migration
(Vistnes
et al
., 2004), especially under climate change where
western areas may become increasingly inaccessible during
winter due to extreme snow and ice conditions in the future.
Restoration of a major former military bombing range at
Hjerkinn, Norway, has resulted in controversies over removal
of former military road infrastructure, where local commercial
and recreational interests want to use the road infrastructure for
Conservation, restoration and rehabilitation of fragmented wild
reindeer populations in Norway: Successes and failures
business development inside the National Park, thereby jeopardiz-
ing a key feature of the restoration goals, namely full rehabilitation
of the lost winter ranges for wild reindeer in the region. Unless ef-
forts are taken to fully implement the restoration goals, a failure
could make this a classic textbook example of how restoration pro-
cesses may fail when restoration targets are changed and partly lost
during the restoration process.
This possible restoration failure is contrasted by the more strict
conservation regime and restoration attempts in the vicinity of the
neighboring national park in Rondane. Here, reindeer had generally
avoided a 5–15 km zone around most resorts during winter due to ex-
tensive webs of recreational ski trails. A relocation and movement of
both a major skitrails and a tourist cabin resulted in near immediate
response in the reindeer distribution during winter: Reindeer moved
into a formerly disturbed, but intact part of the winter range (Nelle-
mann
et al
., 2009). By regulating trails and re-locating infrastructure,
in this case trails and cabins, it was possible to effectively restore lost
habitat while still promoting recreational development.
CASE STUDY #34