#ARCTIC. #SIBERIA. THIS IS TAIMYR. The Nature and People foundation plans to use radio collars to tag wild reindeer in Taimyr, where their numbers have decreased by four times over the past 20 years. This initiative aims to track their migration routes and provide better protection against poachers, according to a report by RIA Novosti.
In 2024, reindeer will be included in a list of priority species that require special conservation and recovery measures as part of the national project Ecological Well-Being.
“Our foundation is committed to preserving the wild reindeer population on the Taimyr peninsula, which has dropped from one million individuals in the late 1990s to just 250 000 in 2019”, said Irina Onufrenya, head of the wildlife conservation program at the Nature and People foundation.
She noted that in recent decades, scientists have observed a rapid decline in reindeer numbers across nearly all of their habitats in Russia, with illegal hunting being one of the major factors.
“Another significant factor contributing to this decline is climate change. Early frosts, rivers thawing too soon, waves of extreme heat, and the resulting wildfires disrupt the timing and routes of wild reindeer migrations. Their food sources are changing, and calving areas are shifting further south in Taimyr”, explained Irina Onufrenya.
She added that during their spring migrations north, reindeer can no longer cross rivers on ice as they used to, forcing them to swim instead. This puts many pregnant females and vulnerable calves at risk.
“We plan to tag the reindeer with domestically produced radio collars to monitor their migration routes. This will help us provide additional protection for critical areas along their migration paths, especially at river crossings where poaching is a concern”, Irina Onufrenya concluded.
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Text: Maria Ivanova, Photo: Denis Kozhevnikov
