TY - JOUR AU - Lundqvist, Henrik AU - Norell, Lennart AU - Danell, Öje PY - 2009/01/28 Y2 - 2024/03/29 TI - Multivariate characterisation of environmental conditions for reindeer husbandry in Sweden JF - Rangifer JA - Ran VL - 27 IS - 1 SE - Articles DO - 10.7557/2.27.1.196 UR - https://septentrio.uit.no/index.php/rangifer/article/view/196 SP - AB - <p>Pastoralism using semi-domesticated reindeer (<em>Rangifer t. tarandus</em>) is a traditional livelihood in northern Fennoscandia. The area used for reindeer herding in Sweden covers as much as half of the country&rsquo;s area. Variation in the productivity of reindeer husbandry is clearly affected by many biotic and abiotic factors. The aim of this investigation was to identify factor combinations which describe the spatial variation in conditions that plausibly determine productivity in reindeer herding. Initially, 37 variables representing geographical location, climate, weather episodes related to ice crust formation and insect harassment, topography, vegetation, forage abundance and qualities, and fragmentation of the ranges were derived, using prior ecological knowledge and spatially explicit data. The variables were mapped in a raster of 1958 squares of 100 km<sup>2</sup> each, covering the entire Swedish reindeer herding area. Reductions of variables were performed with multivariate analyses in steps, ultimately retaining 15 variables. The first five principal components (PCs) of these variables explained 84% of the total variation. The first component, related to major western mountain/eastern lowland gradients, already accounts for 49% of the variation. The following components explained variation ranging from 10% to 5.4%, and revealed spatial patterns in summer versus winter forage, climatic conditions and ice crust formation, abundance of forests and winter forage, and northward slopes together with valuable forest areas, respectively. A tentative zone division of the Swedish reindeer herding area into seven zones was made, based upon cluster analysis and spatial distribution of component scores. Extending this approach and method seems useful also in the understanding and management of other natural resources and national parks, especially with an ongoing global climate change perspective.</p><p>Abstract in Swedish / Sammandrag:</p><p>Multivariat karakterisering av grundf&ouml;ruts&auml;ttningar f&ouml;r rensk&ouml;tsel i Sverige. Den areal som nyttjas av rensk&ouml;tseln i Sverige t&auml;cker ungef&auml;r halva landets yta. Renens produktivitet varierar inom omr&aring;det beroende p&aring; m&aring;nga biotiska och abiotiska faktorer. M&aring;let var att identifiera kombinationer av underliggande faktorer som kan orsaka den varierade produktiviteten inom rensk&ouml;tseln. Baserat p&aring; tidigare kunskap och spatiella data valdes 37 variabler som beskriver relevant variation i geografisk bel&auml;genhet, klimat, v&auml;derh&auml;ndelser relaterade till skaref&ouml;rekomst och insektsst&ouml;rningar, topografi, vegetation, betesm&auml;ngd och -kvalitet, samt fragmentering av betesland. V&auml;rdena i dessa variabler ber&auml;knades f&ouml;r 1958 kvadrater &agrave; 100 km<sup>2</sup>, som tillsammans t&auml;ckte hela rensk&ouml;tselomr&aring;det. Materialet analyserades med en stegvis principalkomponentanalys och klusteranalys, varvid antalet variabler reducerades till 15. De fem f&ouml;rsta principalkomponenterna, baserade p&aring; 15 variabler, f&ouml;rklarade tillsammans 84% av den samlade variationen, varav den f&ouml;rsta principalkomponenten ensam f&ouml;rklarade 49% och de efterf&ouml;ljande fyra komponenterna stod f&ouml;r vardera mellan 10 och 5,4%. Tolkningen av den f&ouml;rsta komponenten tyder p&aring; att den fr&auml;mst f&ouml;rklarade v&auml;ntade &ouml;st-v&auml;stliga gradienter i topografiska och klimatologiska f&ouml;rh&aring;llanden. De efterf&ouml;ljande principalkomponenterna f&ouml;rklarade den samlade variationen i sommar- kontra vinterbete, klimatf&ouml;ruts&auml;ttningar och skaref&ouml;rekomst, skog och vinterbetesf&ouml;rdelning, resp. nordsluttningar i kombination med v&auml;rdefull skogsmark, ut&ouml;ver de gradienter som isolerats i f&ouml;rsta komponenten. Baserat p&aring; den spatiella utbredningen av principalkomponentv&auml;rden f&ouml;resl&aring;r vi en uppdelning av rensk&ouml;tselomr&aring;det i sju zoner med avseende p&aring; faktorer av betydelse f&ouml;r rensk&ouml;tseln. Denna ansats och metodik f&ouml;refaller vara v&auml;l l&auml;mpad f&ouml;r f&ouml;rst&aring;else och f&ouml;rvaltning av naturresurser och skyddsv&auml;rda omr&aring;den generellt, speciellt i ett globalt f&ouml;r&auml;nderligt klimat.</p> ER -