Greenpeace join forces with Sami Reindeer herding communities to help save the last areas of reindeer forest.

The Sámi Reindeer Forests of Arctic Lapland are amongst the few remaining areas of ancient forest left in Europe.

So much is at stake here - the Reindeer Forest is under siege by the Finnish government's own logging company, Metsähallitus. Sámi reindeer herding co-operatives have identified areas of forest vital for the free grazing of reindeer - areas that continue to be logged by Metsähallitus. Up to 70% of the timber logged by Metsähallitus in Sámi areas goes into the production of pulp and paper - ending up as magazine and copy paper throughout Europe.

In Inari, Sámi reindeer herding communities are now taking action to reclaim what is rightfully theirs. A team of Greenpeace activists has joined forces with the herding co-operatives, to help save these last areas of Reindeer Forest.

Inari reindeer herders disappointed on Natural Resources Plan
Joint working group of Inari reindeer herding co-operatives sent out a press release on June 21st. They are disappointed on the Natural Resources Plan of Metsähallitus. The reindeer herders call for negotiations, but Metsähallitus will start logging in August.

TRANSLATED PRESS RELEASE FROM JOINT WORKING GROUP OF INARI REINDEER HERDING CO-OPERATIVES
WWW.INARINPALISKUNNAT.ORG
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STILL NO NEGOTIATIONS – LOGGING IN INARI WILL CONTINUE
Joint working group of Inari reindeer herding co-operatives is disappointed in the new Natural Resources Plan (NRP) of Metsähallitus. Logging in reindeer grazing forests will continue.
The Inari reindeer herding co-operatives have for many years asked for negotiations to solve the forest dispute. Instead of negotiations, Metsähallitus in a joint meeting today presented its new NRP, which has been made without participation of the reindeer herding co-operatives.
Metsähallitus also proposed discussions separately with each reindeer herding co-operative about the specific locations of logging plans in their area. These discussions cannot be regarded as negotiations, because Metsähallitus has not agreed to negotiate forestry decisions in all important reindeer grazing areas as a whole, but will only discuss the locations of next loggings.
The NRP is an internal planning system of Metsähallitus, where Metsähallitus alone holds the decision-making power. Its central aim in theory is to guarantee the rights of the Saami culture and reindeer herding in forest use. The Finnish state has through legislation committed itself to safeguard the preconditions of reindeer herding livelihood in the Saami area.
The aim is still not reached, because the annual logging quota is still too high to protect the important reindeer grazing areas. The mandate and means of State´s enterprise Metsähallitus to make decisions are not sufficient to safeguard local jobs both in forestry and reindeer herding.
The inadequate mandate of Metsähallitus was the primary reason for the failure of the previous negotiations between the reindeer herding co-operatives and Metsähallitus in the summer of 2005. That fundamental problem is also the reason why the Inari reindeer herding co-operatives did not take part in the new NRP. Instead, the co-operatives have many times appealed to the Finnish government to start real negotiations with the co-operatives.
The logging quota in the new NRP would only leave a few of the important grazing areas outside of forestry. Most of the grazing areas of crucial importance would still be left in foresty use. The distribution of protected areas between co-operatives is even more unequal than before. For instance, the Nellim herding group and Muddusjärvi co-operative would be left completely without protected areas. ”The logging quota should be adequately reduced and the reduction must be distributed between the co-operatives so that there will be enough winter grazing areas for everyone”, says the chairman of Muddusjärvi co-operative, mr. Pentti Valle.
The way how Metsähallitus plans and carries out the loggings has become even worse during the NRP process. Since the summer of 2005, Metsähallitus has not negotiated with reindeer herders at all about logging plans. Now Metsähallitus has again marked logging plans in the important grazing forests.
The joint working group of Inari reindeer herding co-operatives appeals once again to the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry to start the negotiations about the forest dispute.

Information on reindeer herding and forest dispute in Inari: http://www.inarinpaliskunnat.org/index_en.html