At the Corral—Nikolayev Matvey Gathering Reindeer | Even and the Climate | 2007 | 59 in. x 74 in.

November 2007, Verkhoyansk Range, Sakha Republic, Siberia. I spent eight days during November 2007, with Even reindeer herders, in the Tomponski Region of the Verkhoyansk Range in the Sakha Republic of Siberia, considered to be the coldest inhabited place on earth. One evening we had a long chat with Nikolayev Matvey, head of camp 11 there. He talked about his perceptions of climate change and its deleterious impacts on reindeer and consequently the Even people. Caribou (North American forms of Rangifer tarandus) and reindeer (Eurasian forms of the same species) are of primary importance to people throughout the Arctic for food, shelter, fuel, tools, and other cultural items. Caribou and reindeer herds depend on the availability of abundant tundra vegetation and good foraging conditions, especially during the calving season. Climate–induced changes to arctic tundra are projected to cause vegetation zones to shift significantly northward, reducing the area of tundra and the traditional forage for these herds. Freeze–thaw cycles and freezing rain are also projected to increase. These changes will have significant implications for the ability of the caribou and reindeer populations to find food and raise calves. Future climate change could thus mean a potential decline in caribou and reindeer populations, threatening human nutrition for many indigenous households and way of life for some arctic communities.