Urpo, you are a biologist and environmental activist for already some time here in the area. What is your main concern with regard to a new graphite mine planned by the Australian mining company Talga in Nunasvaara?
Urpo: The Vittangi River is still an unspoilt place. Practically no people live along the river. It is a small river, but still an important one as it flows into the Torne. Based on the four drillings already there, the graphite deposit continues on the other side of the Vittangi river. Talga has claims there too. Then there is the Torne River, which is part of the Natura 2000 river system. All in all, it is a huge system of interconnected water bodies. I am especially worried about the waste spills. It's very costly for companies to build the barriers of the waste basins. It's a cost-benefit calculation for them, and the basins do break, as we have already seen in several places. They break in Talvivaara, they break in Aitik, they break in Kittalä. It is not only about the water, there is still virgin forest here.
Per-Anders, you are a reindeer herder and also the chairman of Saarivuoma Sameby. Being a reindeer herder is not a free business, but a matter of inheritance, right?
Per-Anders: Right, in Sweden you inherit the right to herd reindeer from your parents. You can also pass that right on to someone else, but no one can just say, I'm going to start a new business as a reindeer herder. I have three boys and a daughter. The boys are all reindeer herders. So I am a rich man as far as that is concerned, I have many who can take over.
And who of them is willing to take it on?
Per-Anders: All of them.
That's great, a lot of young people would say we'll do something else.
Per-Anders: They'll do something else because nowadays you can't get your salary just from the reindeer. Now we have the war, fuel costs are going up and we have to rely on cars and snowmobiles to take care of our herds in the wild. On top of that, you can't sell the reindeer all year round, but only in autumn, just before mid-September. After that they lose weight and the meat is not as good. And it can happen that the market is not favourable at that point of time. So we are very dependent on this short period.
How does the graphite mine planned by the Australian mining company Talga affect reindeer husbandry?
Per-Anders: The mine is located in the Talma Sameby area and lies in the middle of the reindeer's path when they move from west to east or vice versa. Consequently, the reindeer would have to circle the mine to the north or south of it, and thus cross the borders to Saarivuoma and Gabna. This has far-reaching consequences: Firstly, the reindeer of the Samebys mix and have to be separated. Secondly, the reindeer usually stay in one area for a few months to graze and feed. When the number of reindeer increases due to the additional animals from Talma Sameby, the food is only enough for shorter periods and the reindeer have to move on to find new food. Thirdly, we have more animals at times when we have to feed the reindeer. The dust caused by the mine is also a problem, because it covers the ground and the trees where the reindeer find their food, lichen. Graphite is a light material that is easily blown away with the wind. The graphite from the mine here will be transported by trucks to Talga's anode factory in Luleå. A lot of material will fall from these trucks.
How has the community of Vittangi reacted to Talga's plans?
Urpo: They were asleep for quite a while, at least until our last demonstration. We were about 120 people, not bad for a small village of 800 people. We have two main issues: first, the impact of the mine on reindeer husbandry, and second, how the rivers and water supply will be affected. Because of the associated water bodies, ten municipalities in the area could be affected by any waste spills. So, the whole water supply and river system in the area is at risk (municipalities affected: Kiruna, Pajala, Övertorneå, Överkalix, Kalix, Haparanda and, on the finish side: Kolari, Pello, Ylitornio, Tornio. The affected rivers, apart from Vittangi river, are: Torne, Tärendö, Kalix)
Per-Anders: Initially we were told that the mining operation would take about 4 to 10 years. They have since increased their outlook to about 20 to 25 years.
That increases the likelihood of environmental damage. And of course you have economic problems for many years to come.
Per-Anders: And we will get nothing from them. Nobody has offered us any compensation yet. It's only the shareholders who will get something out of it. But we're going to lose the areas forever. Because once you drill and get it all out of the ground, the reindeer don't come back.
Urpo: Well, actually they want to do it differently. They want to drill one hole at a time and fill up the hole they drilled before. That's their idea. In the longer term, the reindeer will come back, but we are talking about a very long period, maybe one generation. This means that in the meantime the economic basis for reindeer husbandry could be destroyed. Reindeer husbandry needs large areas of land.
Climate change is also making it more and more difficult, because it gets very warm, then it gets cold again. Then the ground is frozen and the reindeer can no longer get their food. Consequently, you have to feed the reindeer yourself, and that's another cost you have to bear.
Per-Anders: Exactly. When the snow is fluffy, it's very easy for the reindeer. They can smell the lichen and feel it with their nose, they can feel where they are. And then when a layer of ice comes, it becomes very difficult for them to get through. The lichens are kept short on the ground by grazing all year round. When the snow is dry and fluffy, they usually manage to get through 75 cm of snow. The ice layers are a problem because the reindeer can't smell their food either, but now the snow is also wetter and heavier. The reindeer need more energy, otherwise they give up and move on to other areas, or we have to feed them.
Urpo: To be quite honest, and I think you can agree with me, it is very hard work and the income is very, very low. That means that there are many people like your sons who do it because they want to. They do it because they see a cultural value in it. We have our iron mine in Kiruna, which is deep in the ground, and we have had all the infrastructure associated with it, including the town, for already 100 years. But to go into the wilderness now and destroy everything there is just crazy. Because we have these treasures, we have the rivers, we have the forest, and this is also a cultural land for so many people, especially the Sámi people from Gabna, Saarivuoma and Talma villages.
Per-Anders: The reason we fight so hard to keep these companies from coming here is because we want it to stay the way it's always been. For our future, our children and their children. So that we can still have good reindeer husbandry. Otherwise it's just money talking and taking everything away from us. Talga needs about 50 people to do the work here, but they will destroy the lives of many hundreds of people.