It's home to Europe’s only recognised Indigenous people, but the way of life for the Sami in Lapland is under threat.

Helsinki

The Sami people of northern Finland, whose livelihoods and identity are closely tied to reindeer herding, are facing mounting challenges from climate change, deforestation, and expanding tourism. These pressures have made traditional practices such as reindeer herding increasingly difficult, with fluctuating winter temperatures and reduced grazing lands impacting their ability to sustain their way of life.

In addition to environmental threats, the Sami have faced denial of land and fishing rights, as well as cultural erosion, including the historical banning of their language in schools. Finland has commissioned a Truth and Reconciliation report on its treatment of the Sami, and there are calls for greater protection of Sami culture and traditions as modern developments continue to encroach on their ancestral lands.

Finland’s Indigenous Sami people facing threats to their way of life

This is the annual reindeer roundup in northern Finland. Herders sort the young from the old, check which calves belong to which mother and mark ownership ahead of the Arctic winter. It's a crucial part of the year for the Sami indigenous people, for whom reindeer herding is key for their economy and their identity. The Sami people, they are part of the nature. It's difficult to get your living from reindeers only, but I think it will survive, I hope so. Fewer and fewer Sami are reindeer herders, thanks to the logging of forests, the boom of tourism and a changing climate. These reindeer will now be released to try and survive the winter in the wild, something that's become much more difficult as modern society encroaches on the Sami way of life. The Sami are Europe's only recognised indigenous people, with their homeland in the Arctic regions of Norway, Sweden, Finland and Russia. About 10,000 live in Finland, which has commissioned a Truth and Reconciliation report on its mistreatment of the Sami. The worst impact relates to climate change, and reindeer herding has borne the brunt of it. Winter temperatures now vary so much that snow keeps melting and freezing, stopping reindeer reaching their main diet of lichen, while logging has decimated their grazing lands. At first we tried saying, you can't log there, but no, they didn't reduce the cutting. There were clashes with the authorities, and then we got some support, but they said the forests and our lands belonged to the state, and we had no right to them. The Sami have also been denied fishing rights, and mass tourism is a growing problem. A luxury hotel is set to take the place of these ancient trees. This forest is roughly 8,000 years old. There will be dozens of new holiday cottages and hotels in these forests. It's disastrous. Some Sami are fighting to keep their language alive after it was previously banned in Finnish schools. The Finns, they have tried to do their best, but they have hurt my family a lot. For many of us, it is too hard a job to take the language back. The Sami's way of life is so different that they have eight seasons instead of four. Climate change is making some of those seasons disappear. Finland now has a chance to help protect what is left. Paul Rees, Al Jazeera, Lapland, Finland.

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