“Reindeer are not intimidated by wind turbines”, wrote news and several other media in 2012. The research had shown that. Two years later, a summary came from several research projects. The researchers were surprised that they did not find more dramatic results. Fair enough, it turned out that both wild and tame reindeer disliked the construction work. But once power lines and wind power plants were in operation, they were largely accepted. Now many of the same researchers have researched even more. Today they say that windmills scare reindeer. At least some reindeer. In some places. And at times. They are pretty sure of that. But not “enough”. GPS marking gave a partial answer The last result comes from the Varanger Peninsula. A group of researchers, led by Sindre Eftestøl, started GPS tagging reindeer, i.e. head animals, two years before the wind power plant at Raggovidda was built. This allowed them to see how the animals were affected by noisy construction work – and then a quieter operating phase. The reindeer owners themselves reported that the animals avoided the wind farm. The researchers give them partial support. They found negative effects of the wind power plant, all in all, but not in the summer. Then it seemed that, on the contrary, it was positive. This made it difficult to be completely sure of cause and effect. Per Jørgen Sørbø, who works at the wind turbines in Kjøllefjord, filmed these reindeer. It becomes even more difficult when you have to answer more than yes or no to whether the reindeer will be afflicted. You have to know how bad it actually is before you can assess whether an area can be developed, or determine what the reindeer owners are entitled to in compensation. Why has this been so difficult? As mentioned, the researchers have followed marked animals. In addition, they have measured the amount of reindeer droppings to measure how much an area is used. In addition, they have followed individual individuals and counted the number of steps per minute to see if the animals are grazing calmly or stressed out. But if they find decent answers, there is still a lot that can confuse the picture: They behave like animals Grazing animals have a habit of moving around. There can be completely natural reasons why reindeer avoid an area. It can be grazed or especially plagued by predators. Perhaps they have been lured away from the wind power plant, and not scared away? Or maybe they defy the fear of the turbines because the lynx is worse despite everything? Nature varies There are big differences from year to year, among other things in the weather. It affects how the animals use the terrain. Deep snow or ice and slush can lock pastures. Cold winds from the sea or warm winds from the interior can affect the activity of bloodsuckers and parasites. Reindeer search for drafty ridges and snowdrifts when the insect infestation is greatest. The reindeer brake in the picture and the mosquito can send the reindeer fleeing into windy areas. Photo: Are Nakrem There is a difference between reindeer The fact that some reindeer use an area does not mean that all of them do. Sims with calves in particular are more shy. On the other hand, bachelor herds of reindeer can come and graze in your garden if you live like that. Herding can affect the Reindeer owners at Raggovidda say they have to herd the animals much more after they got wind power plants. If the reindeer stay in the same place only because someone prevents them from fleeing, the GPS measurements will not show any intimidation effect of the wind power. This is what both the researchers and the reindeer herders themselves say. Construction can attract people Wind power development brings with it large construction roads. This can mean that more people use the area, even where the road is closed to driving. For example, the residents of Kjøllefjord said that they went for more walks in the area around the wind power plant after the road was built there. Then the question is whether it is a lot of people or the power plant itself that possibly scares the reindeer. There is a lot of money in the picture None of the people involved are neutral: for the wind power industry it is an advantage if the disturbances can be reduced. Reindeer herders who want to stop development, or demand compensation, have conflicting interests. “We realize that the conflicts of interest linked to land use, culture and financial compensation can affect the answers in a survey”, write Eftestøl and the other researchers in their report. The surest conclusion is therefore the one that always comes from the researchers: More research is needed. PS: Wind power can trouble reindeer husbandry in so many ways. On Kvaløya in Troms, the reindeer herding district says they are considering giving up because of the wind power plant. But there they have almost the opposite problem: the reindeer do not avoid the facility. Thus, the animals are threatened by lumps of ice being thrown from the turbine blades in winter. The threat is even worse for the reindeer owners themselves, who tell E24 that they herd the animals with their lives at stake. More feeding of the reindeer can be an emergency solution where pasture is lost to wind power. Photo: Ministry of Agriculture and Food Source: The aforementioned research report from Raggovidda was written by Sindre Eftestøl and others and published in Rangeland Ecology & Management 87 (2023): “Effects of Wind Power Development on Reindeer: Global Positioning System Monitoring and Herders’ Experience”
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That is why the researchers struggle to find out whether wind power scares the reindeer – news Troms and Finnmark
