Bringing new LIFE to Finland’s threatened wild reindeer population

Blink and you could miss it - a quiet, shy and peaceful creature roams the Finnish forests. Conservation efforts of the LIFE Programme has led to sightings of the Finnish forest reindeer (Rangifer tarandus fennicus) now being possible.  

Before the 1900s, these reindeer roamed coniferous forests in Finland and northwest Russia but were then hunted to extinction in Finland. In the 1950s, some migrated from Russia into Finland and since then two populations of subspecies in the regions of Kainuu and Suomenselkä have been slowly increasing.  

Between 2001 and 2009, the Kainuu population suffered a severe decline from being hunted by increasing numbers of large carnivores, fact connected to anthropogenic habitat changes. Road traffic is the most important human factor which has impacted wild reindeer numbers. In 2010 and 2019, the species was listed as ‘Near-Threatened’ on the Red List of Finnish Species.  

WildForestReindeerLIFE  aimed to boost the conservation status of these animals from ‘Unfavourable-Inadequate’ to ‘Favourable’ by 2023, as per the last assessment of the species carried out under the scope of the EU Habitats Directive. The project’s objectives included improving forest landscapes for better habitats, enlarge the distribution range of the species, reduce species mortality, improve genetic diversity of isolated wild sub-populations and prevent crossbreeding with domestic reindeer, and educating local communities about conservation.   

The project has improved habitats and genetic diversity and provided greater protection. The species reproduce more slowly than other regional deer; a female wild forest reindeer only has one calf a year. During the year, the deer environments change from living in peaceful mires and bogs in the summer, dry heath forests in the autumn, and areas of lichen and pine tree in the winter. Winter herds increase as the season progresses, often up to hundreds of individuals.  

To reinforce the wild population, a captive breeding programme took place and individuals born in captivity were released at several Natura 2000 sites and other protected areas. The founder deer for this breeding process came from Korkeasaari Zoo, Ähtäri Zoo and Ranua Zoo; many of which were also released into the wild after they had bred new calves. 

The species has been reintroduced to three areas: the Seitseminen, Lauhanvuori, and Ähtäri-Soini-Karstula Natura 2000 sites. To keep track of existing and new herds, over 130 Finnish forest reindeer have been tagged with GPS collars. This tracking has helped identify the various causes of death, from predators to illegal hunting, traffic accidents, and their preferred habitats. A new subpopulation made up of 100 individuals now exists further southwest from the existing herds found in Kainuu and Suomenselkä.  

Today, 3 000 Finnish wild forest reindeer are thriving. The current world population in Finland and Russia is approximately 5 000. A sequel to this project is being prepared, to keep protecting these species for future generations.  

WildForestReindeerLIFE aligns to EU Directive Conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora.