Safe, sustainable transports in reindeer husbandry area
Pre-study
Sattajärvi Sameby
2021-10-01
Kaunis Iron, LKAB, Luleå tekniska universitet
Johanna Finnholm
2023-09-30
202104058
The initiators Sattajärvi Sameby and Kaunis Iron want to develop a method together with the other project participants and test innovative solutions in order to best solve the common problem of prevailing extensive reindeer collisions on a road section with e.g. continuous heavy traffic of ore transports. Through method development and experience from the project, they also want to see how proven solutions can be used in other places for other actors. The Swedish Transport Agency has been involved in the talks and will, thanks to the project, be able to carry out better anti-skid measures in the form of salting (not possible when the reindeer are beside/on the road). However, the Swedish Transport Agency is not involved as a formal project partner.
Purpose and goal
Aim: Find sustainable and safe truck transports of ore and for other traffic through the refining area. Compare statistics regarding traffic disruptions and accidents caused by reindeer on the current road distance in the last two years before the start of the project with the two years that the project is running. Increase the social acceptance for both the local mining industry with its side effects and the ongoing reindeer husbandry in the area, by communicating project results. See if this type of solution can be helpful on other road sections and for other actors.
Expected results and effects
Through the project, a working method is created and tested where the Sami village is given the conditions to put the collection and feeding of the reindeer herd earlier, as well as the method how this collection in the current core area is to take place. This takes place throughout the period October – April, which, if the experiment turns out well, leads to significantly fewer reindeer on the road (395) in the area in question and collisions, incidents, disturbances significantly are reduced. To learn from the experiences the academic partner LTU will collect and analyse the results.
Planned approach and implementation
The project will build the necessary facility consisting of feeding station, extended fence and collection fence. A camera will also be installed at the facility so that the presence of raindeer and the need for collection can be read remotely in real time. If necessary, reindeer will be transported by road transport annually from October to April from the collection fence about 8 km to the Sami village´s regular feeding fence in Autio.
More information (in Swedish)
P4 Norrbotten, 26 oktober 2021 – Samebyn och gruvbolaget startade gemensamt projekt
