Title: Reindeer husbandry in Russia

Authors: Konstantin Klokov

Addresses: Institute of Geography, Saint-Petersburg State Unversity, 10 line, 33, V.O. St-Petersburg, 1991784, Russia

Abstract: Russia has about two-thirds of the world|s population of domesticated reindeer. They are herded on a territory of more than three million square kilometres on the tundra, forest-tundra, taiga and mountain areas. The reindeer husbandry in Russia is one of the most important areas of indigenous self-employment especially in the remote Arctic and Siberian regions. It is the basis of the cultures of many northern indigenous peoples, who have varied traditions and wide experiences of reindeer herding in a diversity of landscapes. Domesticated reindeer allow them to live in harmony with the extremely severe natural conditions of the Far North. Many herders say: |Our people will live as long as the reindeer are here. If there are no reindeer – there will not be our people|.

Keywords: reindeer husbandry; Russia; indigenous self-employment; reindeer herders; Arctic; Siberia.

DOI: 10.1504/IJESB.2007.014981

International Journal of Entrepreneurship and Small Business, 2007 Vol.4 No.6, pp.726 - 784

Published online: 30 Aug 2007 *

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