Norsk Yolarinstitutte Bibliotek Preface This number of Polar Research contains papers arising from the Human Role in Reindeedcaribou Systems Workshop, held in Rovaniemi, Finland, from 10 to 14 February 1999. Following on the heels of last year’s Polar Aspects of Global Change Symposium proceedings issue, this set of papers is also multi-disciplinary. And it, too, grapples with questions concerning change, though extending much further into the realm of socio-cultural inquiry. As enthusiastic as we at Polar Research were to publish these papers, some of which depart rather significantly from our usual fare, we would like to assure our regular readers that the next issue will contain a more typical collection of articles on diverse subjects. The Human Role in Reindeedcaribou Systems Workshop included some 10 keynote addresses and about 35 posters, encompassing the following themes: Hunting Systems; Reindeer Herding; Rangeland Habitat Protection; Minimizing Industrial Development Conflicts; Effects of Global Change; and Protecting Indigenous Cultures. The articles herein are those that successfully passed through the peer- review and revision process, as overseen by an editorial team made up of the journal’s editor and Bruce Forbes, Gary Kofinas, David Klein and Igor Krupnik. This set of papers is introduced by Kofinas et al. with an account of the interdisciplinary research planning process undertaken in Rovaniemi and the research plan for human-Rangifer studies that comes from the workshop. The articles that follow are organized by subject, moving from a focus on reindeer herding systems in transition to reindeedcaribou interactions, climate change, future research and the challenges of cultural continuity. Baskin, Krupnik, Gray and Klokov put Russian reindeer herding into a historical perspective, with Baskin touching on the little appreciated role of hunting systems of that region. All reflect on the current “crisis,” with Krupnik speaking directly to research needs at this critical time. Focusing on North America, Dau addresses the challenges of reindeer herding and caribou management of Alaska’s Seward Peninsula, where the interaction of wild and domestic herds has resulted in conflicts and economic loss. Focusing on human disturbance and the effects of industrial development and infrastructure, Aastrup, Wolf et al., Reimers et al. and Klein offer important contributions by reviewing available literature, describing current studies, and raising outstanding research questions. Lee’s paper moves us towards the global question of climate changes, by examining its specific regional effects in Muotkatunturi, Finland. Kryazhimskii & Danilov remind us of the often neglected, yet critical issue of system complexity. The papers by Danell and Russell et al., like those by Reimers et al., Krupnik, Klein and Turi, suggest research priorities, with Danell and Russell et al. offering novel approaches for achieving them. Turi took one of the workshop’s primary tasks to heart by providing an indigenous perspective on the subject, and Golovnev has been given the final word in this issue. He offers a sobering insight into another “crisis,” reporting first-hand on 2000: Polar Research I 9 ( 1 ) , 1-2 1 the struggle for survival of an indigenous community caught up in the development of petroleum resources in Russia’s Nenets Autonomous Okrug. The International Arctic Science Committee (IASC) is thanked for its ongoing support of the Human Role in Reindeedcaribou Systems Project, including the funding which is being applied to publication costs. The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Trust for Mutual Understanding, US National Science Foundation and many other organizations also provided significant support. For a complete list of workshop sponsors, see Table 3 in Kofinas et al., this issue. The efforts of workshop co-leaders, Gail Osherenko and David Klein, as well as the other members of the Steering Committee (see Table 2, Kofinas et al.) must also be acknowledged. Special thanks are given to Deborah Robinson for her superb work as workshop coordinator, and to Raija Kivilahti and Ulla Heiskari for seeing that the workshop ran smoothly in Rovaniemi. To obtain copies of this issue, contact the Institute of Arctic Studies, Dartmouth College, 6412 Fairchild, Hanover, NH03755, USA., artic@dartmouth.edu. Copies can also be purchased from the Norwegian Polar Institute; inquire at sales@npolar.no. Helle V. Goldman, Editor-in-Chief Bruce Forbes, Special Co-editor Gary Kofinas, Special Co-editor Map offering a very general overview of the circumpolar distribution of wild Rangifer (horizontal hatching) and reindeer husbandry (vertical hatching). The former excludes small local pockets of reindeer and the latter is rather loosely defined. (W. K. Dallmann drafted the Eurasian distribution, drawing from: Atlas SSSR, 1984, Moscow; A. A. Nazarov & 0. N. Shubnikova, 1994. “The geography of wild reindeer in northern Russia,” Polar Geography and Geology !8(3), pp. 231-244; various sources listed in Dallmann, 1997, Indigenous peoples of the northern part of the Russian Federation and their environment, INSROP Working Paper 90-1997; and S . E. Belikov, A. N. Boltunov & T. P. Belikova, pers. comm., 1997. G. Kofinas and D. Russell contributed to the North American section. Thanks also to S. KaitaldCAFF and L. Baskin.) 2 P r e f a c e