An ERDF-funded project in Jamtland, Sweden is testing the use of drones for reindeer husbandry in a bid to reduce the need for off-road vehicles when finding reindeer herds across challenging terrain. Reindeer husbandry is an important industry in Sweden, with almost 280 000 reindeer across the country in the winter season. Reindeer are mostly used for meat production, with a small number dedicated to the region’s tourism industry. This ERDF-funded project aims to identify solutions to mak
Drones to make reindeer farming more sustainable in Jamtland, Sweden
- 16 October 2019
An ERDF-funded project in Jamtland, Sweden is testing the use of drones for reindeer husbandry in a bid to reduce the need for off-road vehicles when finding reindeer herds across challenging terrain.
Reindeer husbandry is an important industry in Sweden, with almost 280 000 reindeer across the country in the winter season. Reindeer are mostly used for meat production, with a small number dedicated to the region’s tourism industry.
This ERDF-funded project aims to identify solutions to make the industry more efficient and better able to cope with the necessary coverage of huge pasture areas. Drones have been touted as a potential solution to finding groups of reindeer across forests and mountain landscapes, replacing the use of off-road vehicles such as snow mobiles.
Drones will be equipped with cameras for high resolution images and IR-cameras to find the reindeer, which should lead to less snowmobile use per day. This would substantially reduce the sector’s fossil fuels emissions, and improve safety for those working in the industry.
The ERDF-funded project aims to find such solutions able to preserve the region’s impressive mountain landscape while striving to reduce environmental impact.
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Source article on https://www.ja.se/ 30/09/19
Author: Towe Johnson
Photo: © iStock/Magnus Lindberg