Beslut för långsiktig överlevnad: värderingar, mål och beslut inom renskötseln

The thesis examined how the institutional environment of reindeer herders and their goals and decisions affect their possibilities to combine resources in order to sustainably continue reindeer herding. Using a resource-based perspective, the work examined how herders can deploy their resources so that this enterprise can survive in the long run. The conceptual model used was based on values, decisions, property rights and resources. Swedish reindeer herding was also conceptualised in a socio-ecological framework. Qualitative and quantitative approaches were employed in the analysis. Triangulation was used to compare results from different methods to improve validity and to gain a deeper understanding of the data. It was found that reindeer herders only want a sufficiently high financial outcome to allow them to continue as herders, i.e. they have modest demands on financial outcome. Large-scale herders have higher demands than small-scale herders. Financial resources from enterprises other than reindeer herding seem to be only a last resort to maintain reindeer herding. Quantitative analysis examined whether the larger- or smaller-scale herders in the village should increase/decrease their number of reindeer due to surplus/shortage of available grazing land. The results indicated that herders favoured a medium-sized herd with one exception: large-scale herders in the south believed more strongly that large herds needed to be preserved. It was also found that several factors are working in favour of sustainable use of resources, increasing the possibilities of reindeer herding surviving. These factors include shared overall values about reindeer herding, modest demands on financial outcome and a common understanding of the environment. However, the results also revealed factors compromising the possibilities to continue reindeer herding. These included no legal support for nested decision making in herding districts and uncertainty about the availability of grazing land.