17 February is Wild Reindeer Day in Russia. On this date, the Lake Baikal Foundation is pleased to announce the launch of a new programme aimed at studying and preserving the population of the forest subspecies of wild reindeer living in the central part of the Khamar-Daban Range in the Baikal State Natural Biosphere Reserve.
It is the only red-listed representative of the mammal class in the Baikal Reserve – it is listed in the Red Data Book of the Russian Federation (2021) and the Red Data Book of the Republic of Buryatia (2023). Over the past 20 years, scientists have noted a decline in the number of the animal, in 2024, the expert number is estimated at 23 individuals. At the same time, the species is the most important link in the ecosystem of the Khamar-Daban Ridge and an object of biological diversity of the Baikal natural territory. In 2021, the Foundation has already supported the Reserve’s research on reindeer conservation – then scientists during an expedition installed camera traps, confirmed the fact of wild reindeer habitat in areas previously unexplored, and for the first time used a quadrocopter to detect the animal.
Continued cooperation and a joint programme of the Baikal Nature Reserve and the Lake Baikal Foundation will allow for a systematic approach to the study of this local grouping and the development of scientific recommendations for the conservation of the species. Two scientific expeditions are already planned for 2025 in summer and winter – “Where the reindeer winter” and “Following the tracks of the reindeer”.
1. “Where the reindeer winter“
Scientists of the Baikal Nature Reserve will conduct an aerial survey and for the first time will go to study wild reindeer in winter to determine the animal’s wintering grounds in the mountain tundra.
It is known that during the summer period reindeer are locally found in the mountain tundra of the Reserve, and traces of activity are also noted in the forest belt. But the materials that have been accumulated for more than 15 years are not enough to understand what affects the population of wild reindeer. Photo traps installed in summer do not help – either their memory is full by autumn or they stop working due to low temperatures or high snow cover. We have a hypothesis that the reindeer, being one of the most migratory animals in the world, in winter time moves to habitats with good forage and protective conditions. To confirm this hypothesis it is necessary to conduct scientific research of this local grouping in winter. This will be a winter expedition to hard-to-reach places of the mountain tundra,
– Alexey Kitaev, Project Leader and Head of the Scientific Department of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Baikal State Reserve”.
2. “Following the tracks of the reindeer”
A three-year comprehensive ecological monitoring programme to identify the main causes of the decline in the group’s abundance.
Scientists will go on summer field expeditions to install satellite collars on reindeer. This will make it possible to determine the reindeer’s migration routes, places of its winter concentration, and clarify the species’ habitat. For the first time in the Republic of Buryatia, work will be carried out to study reindeer using remote monitoring of this species. In the course of the project, it is planned to prepare a detailed map of the reindeer distribution area in the Baikal Reserve, including points of visual sightings, data from camera traps and traces of the species’ activity.
The biological material obtained during the expedition will make it possible to conduct genetic analyses of the animal, including determining the presence or absence of inbreeding, i.e. crossbreeding between related individuals. In addition, it is planned to collect faeces of the reindeer to determine the influence of the parasite fauna on the state of the species. Based on the results of the work, the Baikal Reserve and the Foundation will develop recommendations for the conservation of this species, publish a popular science publication and hold a number of educational events.
The key principle of our grant support is to identify those projects that can make a significant contribution to biodiversity conservation in the Baikal Nature Reserve and are in urgent need of funding. We are pleased that, based on the results of last year, we were able to attract the necessary resources to continue our co-operation with the Baikal Nature Reserve for the conservation of the Khamar-Daban group of the forest subspecies of reindeer,
– Anastasia Valeryevna Tsvetkova, CEO of the Lake Baikal Foundation.
The eastern boundary of the Altai-Sayan population of the forest subspecies of reindeer lies along the border of the Baikal Reserve, and this species is not recorded further east. To date, the local Khamar-Daban group is small and insufficiently studied, because if we do not take timely measures to study and preserve the reindeer, we may lose this species not only on the territory of the Reserve, but also in our region. Thanks to the support of the Lake Baikal Foundation, a comprehensive research programme aimed at preserving this rare species is being implemented. Conservation of the reindeer is not only the task of scientists and ecologists, but also the responsibility of each of us. Only through joint efforts we can preserve the reindeer for future generations and ensure sustainable development of the ecosystem of our region,
– Vasily Ivanovich Sutula, Director of the Federal State Budgetary Institution “Baikal State Reserve”.
Support for the integrated scientific programme of the Baikal Nature Reserve and the Lake Baikal Foundation for the conservation of the Khamar-Daban group of the forest subspecies of reindeer was made possible thanks to the World Around You Foundation of Siberian Wellness and private donors.