In the vast peatlands and ancient forests that straddle the Finnish-Russian border, a quiet revolution is taking place. Ecologists are working to revive a long-lost icon of the boreal wilderness – the wild forest reindeer. But this is no ordinary reintroduction project. In the remote region of Karelia, rewilding means reconnecting not just habitats, but the very souls of the landscape.
The Ghosts of Karelia
Wild forest reindeer once roamed these lands in abundance, intertwined with the lives and lore of the Karelian people. Their songs and stories spoke of reindeer as honored providers, sacred symbols of a place where nature and culture were one. But as the modern world encroached, the last wild reindeer in Koitajoki was shot in 1919. The folklore faded, and the reindeer became ghosts.
I always come back here like a boomerang. This landscape is filled with knowledge, if you can find it.
– Tero Mustonen, lead rewilding scientist
Singing the Reindeer Home
Now, a century later, an ambitious project led by the Snowchange Cooperative aims to bring the reindeer back – and with them, the songs and stories that kept their memory alive. The approach is called “deep mapping”: rejuvenating not just the ecological fabric of the land, but the cultural and linguistic diversity that evolved alongside it.
Researchers have spent over two decades gathering oral histories from reindeer-hunting communities, preserving a treasury of ancient knowledge. Folk singers like Liisa Matveinen are the living links to this tradition, their voices echoing a vanished world of harmony between humans and nature.
Restoring Peatlands, Reviving Traditions
But for the reindeer to return, they need a home. Snowchange is restoring nearly 9,000 acres of degraded peatlands, the marshy birthing grounds where reindeer once thrived. These carbon-rich ecosystems are recovering, with birds and wildlife gradually returning. The first reindeer are set to be released in 2028, with a goal of re-establishing a herd of 300.
The project’s leaders believe that reconnecting people to the land, and to the reindeer, is key to ensuring their long-term survival. Reviving traditional hunting practices, done respectfully and sustainably, could rekindle the ancient bonds between species. The songs and stories could live again, not just as memories, but as a roadmap for coexistence.
A Model for Conservation’s Future
The Karelia rewilding initiative represents a pioneering approach to conservation, one that recognizes the inextricable links between biological and cultural diversity. By weaving together ecological restoration, oral histories, and community engagement, it offers a hopeful model for preserving endangered species and traditions in a rapidly changing world.
As the peatlands slowly heal and the first “ghost reindeer” begin scouting their ancestral grounds, the songs of Karelia are stirring once more. In their ancient melodies and poetic wisdom, we may find the key to restoring not just a species, but our own relationship with the wild. For in the end, to rewild a landscape is to rewild ourselves – and to remember that we, too, are part of nature’s grand symphony.
