Saarivuoma Sami Community-Compensation for Financial Losses 1972–2021 due to Expulsion of Traditional Pasture Lands in Troms, Norway

Abstract

This report is written by independent experts. The purpose is to calculate the financial losses for Saarivuoma Sami Community (Saarivuoma Sameby) for by law being locked out from two areas in inner Troms, Norway during the period 1972-2021. The report put the areas in a nature geographic and a reindeer herding context and explores the potential of Saarivuoma’s grazing land from the 1960s to current time. As for the winter pastures the report states that Saarivuoma has, and have had sufficient winter pastures the last five decades, and that they have had possibilities to adjust their pasture use to changing conditions. The report has used the established FATIMA model for calculating the loss of bare ground pasture capacity. The loss is calculated to be a loss of pasture capacity for 5494 reindeer for 182.5 days per year. As an assumption for the further calculation the report has chosen that with full access to the summer land as ruled by the Supreme Court of Norway in 2021 the productivity level of Saarivuoma would minimum had been as the level of Norrbotten County with 4.4 kg per winter reindeer. It assumed a meat price based on a three years mean from Sametinget.se at SEK 74.44 and and price addition of SEK 12.34 providing a total meat price of SEK 86.78. The annual production loss is calculated to be SEK 2.1 million. The production loss should be caluclated for at least 33 years (1972-2005). With these assumption the operational production loss is calculated to SEK 69.2 million for these 33 years. For the additional period of 16 years 2005-2021 we have calculated a production loss of SEK 4.5 million. Accordingly, the total operational loss is caluclated to SEK 73.7 million. Grazing fees are calculated to be SEK 1.34 million in today’s value, and extra herding costs SEK 0.61 million in today’s value. The total financial loss is calculated to be SEK 75.65 million.

Saarivuoma Sami Community-Compensation for Financial Losses 1972–2021 due to Expulsion of Traditional Pasture Lands in Troms, Norway