Marin, Andrei, and Paal Vedeld. 2003. "The Political Ecology of Managing the Common Reindeer Ranges in Finnmark, Sub-Arctic Norway." Presented at "Joining the Northern Commons: Lessons for the World, Lessons from the World", Anchorage, August 17-21, 2003.

Abstract

"Nomadic pastoralism is characterized by flexible patterns of resource use and tenure regimes, as a response to fluctuating circumstances in both time and space. In sub-arctic Norway, the traditional tenure and resource-use regimes of Saami reindeer pastoralism have been gradually replaced by a formalized system reinforced by the State. Today, the lichen ranges are highly degraded and the reindeer enterprise is sustained by large subsidies, legitimating more control from the Administration and calling for a drastic revision of management approach.

"Using a political ecology framework and narrative analysis, the present study addresses the effectiveness of the present management regime in promoting economic and environmental sustainability and equity in the use of the common lichen ranges in Inner Finnmark. The article contrasts the discourse of the herders with the hegemonic one produced by the State and reproduced by society at large on two main thrusts: the ecological model used to determine the optimal herding strategy in order to secure a sustainable production (on an equilibrium/non-equilibrium continuum), and the legitimacy and efficiency of institutions that regulate the resource-use -i.e. the need for a centrally-controlled, formalized regulation system in order to avoid resource degradation (the tragedy of the commons). The paper discusses the received wisdom, simplification, methodological flaws and vested interests inherent in the managerial discourse as illustrated by herders' narratives and supported by secondary empirical evidence and scientific theories that acknowledge the influence of various circumstances (climatic, social, economic, cultural) upon the production strategy of the herders. We close by evidencing the ways in which the two divergent discourses and their practical implementation relate to the design principles for successful common property regimes proposed in theory.

"An opportunistic management approach that develops and legitimates local institutions to coordinate the use of common ranges according to ecological variability and customary tenure system is proposed as an alternative. We underline the importance of understanding the regimes in use today as outcomes of power struggles and knowledge claims on sustainability and propose this as a relevant approach in designing enduring common property regimes in the North."