The impact of winter warming and more frequent icing events on reindeer herder occupational safety, health, and wellbeing.

Background: Northern Finland, like the rest of the Arctic, has experienced increases in mean annual temperature, the number of winter rains, the number of thaw-freeze days, the number of extremely warm weather events, and a shortened snow season. These changes have produced numerous problems for reindeer herders whose livelihoods rely on a healthy ecosystem with predictable weather patterns.

Methods: We performed a scoping literature review to assess how climate change induced extreme weather has negatively impacted reindeer herding as well as the health and wellbeing of reindeer herders.

Results: Late snow cover negatively impacts reindeer herding through a more widely dispersed herd that increases the work to gather reindeer, leads to reduced calf weight, and results in less meat for sale. This increased labor, especially in extreme cold conditions, can also negatively impact reindeer herder health. Icing due to thaw-freeze and rain-on-snow events makes it impossible for reindeer to dig through the snow to access lichens, increasing the need for reindeer herders to keep the herd in winter enclosures and provide supplemental feed.

Conclusion: Climate change induced weather events such as late snow cover and icing increase reindeer herder efforts and expenses, put their livelihood at risk, and put their health at risk.