A thunderous roar cuts through the quiet skies over the boreal forest in northern Finland. It is not the wind or a storm, but the thunder of fighter jets — a regular occurrence now in the remote lands of Rovajarvi. Located roughly 100 kilometers from the Russian border, Rovajarvi has become a focal point for military training exercises since Finland’s accession to NATO in 2023. But this strategic pivot is taking a toll on a centuries-old way of life: reindeer herding.
Kyosti Uutela, a lifelong reindeer herder and head of the local husbandry district, surveys the landscape with quiet dismay. “Military activity has increased massively here since Finland joined NATO,” he says, standing atop a cleared hill where trenches have been dug and the forest razed for military maneuvers. This is Rovajarvi — the largest artillery training range in Western Europe, sprawling across 1,070 square kilometers. It’s also home to fragile lichen pastures, vital to the survival of Finland’s 184,000 reindeer.
Reindeer husbandry is not merely a livelihood but a deeply rooted cultural tradition, especially among the Indigenous Sami people. It also supports more than 4,000 registered herders across 57 districts that span over a third of Finland’s territory. But with NATO drills increasing — 103 military exercises in 2024 alone, up from 89 the previous year — the balance between national defense and cultural preservation is becoming harder to maintain.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Finland has shifted dramatically from a policy of military non-alignment to full NATO membership. The Finnish Defence Forces (FDF), along with NATO allies, see Rovajarvi as a prime location for drills due to its size, topography, and seasonal extremes. In 2024, a defense cooperation agreement with the United States added further momentum to the region’s militarization.
“The security situation has worsened, and training activities have increased accordingly,” the FDF said in a statement, acknowledging that the use of Rovajarvi had intensified. Yet, they emphasized that herders’ needs are “taken into account,” including efforts to plan around critical herding seasons.
For herders like Riikka Poropudas, such reassurances fall short. “The military presence has increased radically. We’re now forced to feed reindeer in fenced areas more often, which is expensive and unnatural,” she said. May, a critical calving season, saw about 6,500 troops from Finland, Sweden, and the UK conduct live-fire exercises — a source of acute distress for both mother reindeer and their calves.
“The activities stress the animals, drive them away from calving areas, and reduce birth rates,” Poropudas added. The disruption isn’t merely seasonal. Tanks tear up mossy ground, leaving trails of ecological damage. Lichen, a slow-growing organism and the primary winter food for reindeer, does not easily recover once destroyed. “Some pastures may never regenerate,” warns Uutela.
This isn’t just a rural dilemma — it’s a broader conflict between modern geopolitical realities and ancient traditions. Among the most affected are the Sami, Finland’s only Indigenous people. Tuomas Aslak Juuso, acting president of the Sami Parliament in Finland, said the growing militarization of the Arctic region adds to already mounting pressures from climate change and expanding industrial land use.
“Our model of reindeer herding is based on the freedom of movement and access to natural pastures. Military exercises that damage these areas violate both the spirit and sustainability of our way of life,” Juuso said.
A particularly damaging military drill took place in Finnish Sapmi in 2023. Juuso recounts how the Sami were not adequately informed beforehand, grazing lands were churned into mud by heavy machinery, and the lichen cover — essential for the herd’s survival — was shredded. “The damage from just one training session can have lasting effects for years.”
While the Finnish government and military insist that coordination with local communities is ongoing, herders argue that communication is often one-sided. Decisions are made, drills are scheduled, and consultations, if they occur, are afterthoughts rather than proactive dialogues.
International obligations add another layer of complexity. As a NATO member, Finland must regularly host allied troops and facilitate joint training sessions. The government argues this is necessary to ensure readiness and deterrence amid ongoing tensions with Russia. But on the ground, that means more noise, more vehicles, and more helicopters slicing through the treetops — and more frightened reindeer scattering far from their traditional trails.
Experts warn that if current trends continue, reindeer husbandry in some districts may become economically unviable. Supplementary feeding — now increasingly common — is not just expensive, but alters the social behavior of reindeer and undermines the ecological balance the system relies on.
There are also legal implications. Finland is bound by international treaties to uphold Indigenous rights, including the right to preserve traditional livelihoods. Persistent disruption without meaningful compensation or mitigation could violate these commitments, potentially opening the state to international scrutiny.
Herders and Sami leaders are calling for several immediate actions. First, a more transparent and inclusive planning process, where communities are consulted before — not after — training schedules are finalized. Second, the creation of protected zones where no military activity is allowed during critical periods such as calving and migration. And third, compensation for damaged pastureland and infrastructure.
Meanwhile, researchers are tracking long-term impacts. Biologists warn that consistent stress and habitat loss could result in lower birth rates, higher mortality, and altered migratory patterns. Cultural anthropologists caution that once a herding district is abandoned, the social structures around it — from cooperative herding groups to local knowledge systems — start to unravel.
For now, herders like Uutela and Poropudas continue their work, balancing tradition against a backdrop of war games and uncertainty. “We’re not against national defense,” Uutela said. “But it shouldn’t come at the cost of erasing our way of life.”
As Finland deepens its role within NATO, the tensions in Rovajarvi offer a microcosm of broader dilemmas: security versus sustainability, modernity versus tradition, and geopolitics versus grassroots resilience.
