Finnish Forestry Administration and Nellim Sámi Reindeer Herders settle herding land disagreement | Arctic Portal

Metsähallitus (state-owned Forest Administration enterprise) and three Sámi reindeer herders from Nellim in Finnish Lapland have settled their disagreement, formerly under review of  Lappi District Court and Rovaniemi Court of Appeal as well as the United Nations Human Rights Committee. The newly initiated agreement ends Metsähallitus’s forestry operations for the next 20 years in specified state-owned lands and terminates all lawsuits between the parties.

The agreement applies to standard forestry operations. Metsähallitus refrains from logging in forests where no previous forestry operations have been carried out. Cutting of timber and land use referred to in the Skolt Sámi Act is not restricted, nor activities such as fishing, hunting or off-road traffic.

According to the Matsähallitus homepage both parties are very pleased with the agreement. It will preserve significant areas in Nellim for herding only, but guarantees for Metsähallitus continued forestry operations in other areas clearly specified in the agreement.

See the news article at the homepage of the Metsähallitus