Protecting Arctic Permafrost with Reindeer

Can you tell us a little about your chosen field of research, which is “land use strategies in the Arctic”? 

Torben Windirsch: With permafrost soils already thawing and releasing more and more carbon into the atmosphere, I decided to investigate how the grazing behaviour of animals in the Arctic affects the soil, soil temperature, and carbon storage. What I was able to show is that intensive, high-density livestock grazing – in this case, with reindeer – lowers soil temperatures, causing permafrost soils to thaw much slower and ensuring that carbon stays in the ground.  

What will you be focussing on over the next few months at RIFS?

T. W.: Rather than communicating with politicians and their researchers, who tend to prefer other land use options such as forestry, I would like to share my findings with reindeer herders in northern Scandinavia, so that they can make their case for keeping more reindeer. And keeping more reindeer makes sense: it stabilises the soil and prevents infrastructure from sinking into thawing ground. It also has a climate-positive effect by retaining carbon in the soil. This could enable herders to regain access to areas where they grazed reindeer 50 years ago. In a nutshell: I’ll be focussing on converting scientific findings into socially useful outcomes. 

Your research shows that reintroducing high-density grazing in the tundra would promote soil cooling, which can stabilise thawing permafrost. Looking at the demographic forecasts for 2050, are we more likely to be eating reindeer steaks than insect burgers? 

T. W.:  Probably both. Even a warming Arctic is still too cold for insects – but reindeer can thrive there. In a globalised world, exports of reindeer meat to markets abroad could help to reduce the number of cattle farmed globally. This too would have a positive co-benefit, as reindeer emit far fewer CO2 equivalents than cattle – even when they are held indoors. Grazing reindeer emit 90 per cent less CO2 equivalents per kilo of meat compared to cattle. However, this applies only to extremely high-density grazing, which should only be maintained for limited periods and in areas with critical infrastructure (pipelines, for example) in order to stabilise the soil by preventing it from thawing.

Which local partners are you in contact with about this and what is the plan? 

T. W.: In my conversations with reindeer herders, I learned that they are only allowed to graze reindeer in designated areas, with some forest areas no longer accessible because they have been allocated to forestry. This limits the number of reindeer that herders can farm at any time. Those positive climate impacts can only be achieved if more areas are opened up for reindeer husbandry, which would allow for larger herds.  

Who decides which areas herders can access? 

T. W.: The government; which is why I am speaking with reindeer herders directly. In order to avoid conflicts over land use, I recommend that recently harvested forest areas be released for reindeer husbandry for 20 to 30 years in addition to grazing on lands around infrastructure such as pipelines.

What actually happens when permafrost thaws? 

T. W.: Permafrost soil consists of an upper layer of 20 centimetres to two metres depth, depending on the location. This so-called 'active layer’ freezes again in winter. However, warmer temperatures mean that the active layer no longer freezes completely, which affects the underlying permafrost, causing it to thaw further and further. This stimulates microorganisms residing in the soil that convert organic material in peat into CO2, for example, or into methane under aquatic conditions. Permafrost soils consist of up to 90 per cent ice. When they thaw, they become very, very wet. As a consequence, methane, which is even more harmful to the climate than CO2, accounts for a large proportion of emissions from permafrost.