Features of socio-natural interactions and the dynamics of the environmental impact of reindeer herding in the north of Western Siberia in the second half of the 19th century and the first quarter of the 21st century

Against the backdrop of the reindeer herding crisis in many Arctic regions, the dynamics of its development in the north of Western Siberia are an exception. Over the past decade of the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century, the territory of its largest reindeer herding center, the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug of the Tyumen Region, has seen an increase in the number of reindeer, which currently accounts for about a third of the global total. Therefore this region can be considered a unique model territory which allows us to assess the nature of socio-natural interactions related to reindeer herding in their most intense form. In the historical retrospective, the paper examines the features of socio-natural interactions related to the regulation of the load on pasture lands in reindeer herding in the Yamalo-Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The study is based on the analysis of literature, archival sources, and the generalization of the authors' field research. It has been established that during the period from the second half of the 19th century to the beginning of the Soviet era, the traditional forms of regulating the number of reindeer and their grazing routes contributed to the preservation of a high potential for the regeneration of pasture lands. During the Soviet period, conditions gradually emerged for overgrazing of reindeer, and by the 1960s, it had become a problem in the Yamal and Priural districts. Since the 1990s, overgrazing of reindeer has become a serious issue. As to the causes of the problem, it has been established that the major factors are the reduction of grazing routes and an increase in the number of the herds against the background of the reduction of the land in the process of developing the infrastructure of the oil and gas production complex. Economic processes play a crucial role as factors that transform the Arctic ecosystems. The increasing irreversible negative consequences of overgrazing on the ecosystems could critically increase the vulnerability of reindeer herding. In this situation, it is necessary to develop new approaches to regulating reindeer herding based on achieving a reasonable balance between the development of its commercial functions and its impact on the Arctic ecosystems.

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