Lehdistötiedote - elokuu 24, 2009
One of the long standing conflicts between Saami reindeer herders and Finland's State forest service Metsähallitus has been resolved in Nellim, in northernmost Finland. The law suit filed in 2005 by three Saami reindeer herders was settled with an agreement between the reindeer herders and Metsähallitus.
Reindeer herder Kalevi Paadar and former reindeer pasture logged by Finland's State forest service Metsähallitus.
The agreement published today saves the majority of mature
forests in the area for the next 20 years. This means that
practically all old-growth forests and important reindeer pastures
of Nellim are protected until 2029. Nellim is a part of the
municipality of Inari in the Homeland of the Saami, indigenous
people of North Europe.
- This is a great result of Greenpeace campaigning and the
persistent struggle of the reindeer herders. Twenty years is enough
time to find a permanent solution to the conflict between
traditional reindeer herding and forestry. We hope that the
negotiated solution will work as a model for Metsähallitus to
resolve similar conflicts in other parts of the Saami Homeland as
well, says Sini Harkki, Greenpeace forest campaigner in
Finland.
The Greenpeace campaign on Nellim forests began in 2002 when
Greenpeace, Finnish Association for Nature Conservation and
reindeer herders published maps of the most important reindeer
forests of Inari and asked Metsähallitus to agree to moratoria on
all logging in the forests and fair negotiations on their use. The
campaign continued with an international Forest Rescue Station that
was set up by Greenpeace in the forests of Nellim. From the camp
Greenpeace volunteers helped the local reindeer herders to
demarcate their important reindeer forests which were threatened by
logging.
The court process became international in 2005 when
Metsähallitus continued logging the forests in spite of the on
going court process and the UN Human Rights Committee recommended
Finland to seize the logging until the case has been handled by the
court.
Forestry affects traditional reindeer herding as logging
destroys tree hanging lichen, an important source of winter food
for the reindeer. Logging also has an impact on ground lichen and
it causes serious fragmentation of pastures.
More information:
Forest
Rescue -blog
Inari
reindeer herding co-operatives
Other contacts:
Contact details:
Sini Harkki, forest campaigner, +358 50 582 1107
Juha Aromaa, communications manager, +358 50 369 6202