The Muonio Story

The Muonio Sámi reindeer herding district is located in the northmost part of Sweden, bordering Finland. Their reindeer pastures cover 3460 square kilometres in Pajala municipality with permits to keep up to 3900 reindeer in winter. Reindeer herding forms the basis of traditional economy for the Sámi and is an integral part of the Sámi identity. Traditional reindeer herding is dependent on expanses of old-growth forest, which provide shelter and the main source of food supply in the form of ground and hanging lichens. Sweden’s largest forest company, state-owned Sveaskog, has repeatedly ignored Sámi rights and logged old growth forest in areas vital to reindeer husbandry around Muonio Sámi reindeer herding district. Sveaskog has recently stopped all prior consultation with the native community before conducting logging operations. Muonio Sámi reindeer herding district and Greenpeace demand that Sveaskog immediately halt all logging in the area until consultations are resumed with the Sámi community, in the format that is acceptable for the community. Greenpeace also demands that the Swedish government amends Sveaskog's ownership directive to ensure that the company stops unsustainable logging practices, protects old-growth forest and fully respects the rights of the Indigenous Sámi peoples.