Dovre App wants a pilot program where tourists go in groups with a guide.
This was revealed in a proposal presented by the party to Climate and Environment Minister Espen Barth Eide.
At the same time, Dovre App hopes that permanent residents will be able to use the mountain as before.
The proposal faces strong opposition from the Norwegian Tourist Association (TND).
– violates the common law
– It violates Court of Common Lawsays Ingeborg Wessel Finstad, head of the division Nature and Sustainability at TNT.
– Nature should be free, then paid solutions with a certified guide are not the way to go, he says.
Warns Ingeborg Wessel Finstad, Head of Division at DNT.
Photo: TNT
– The right we have in Norway to travel in nature is a right we must take care of in the future.
Dovre App believes that outside tourists are the main problem for the vulnerable wild reindeer.
Therefore, they want a pilot project for a selected area, where the aim is to test whether the mandatory use of guided group tours leads to fewer disruptions.
Unique wild reindeer tribe
The tribes in Rondane/Dovre are the only genetically original wild reindeer tribes in Europe. It is now red-listed, meaning experts consider it dangerous.
The main reason for this is human movement and activities. Wild reindeer are easily frightened and depend on large mountain ranges to survive.
But the demand for reduced cabin upgrades and less traffic has fueled fierce debate about who is responsible.
– A part of Vto doCulture and Identity
Dovre Abe believes that restrictive measures of local people Hill’s use, he said, “has a limited effect.”
– These actions will not help against Aida Ample Rouge, a member of the Dovre App team, says the main problem is the sheer number of tourists.
Ida in the Dovre Labor Party is keen for the Ample Rouge trial scheme.
Photo: Private
– We have lived side by side with reindeer for a long, long time, without harming them. It is a part of vto doCulture and identity, he says.
Ingeborg Wessel Finstad from TNT says they share the concern about the situation of wild reindeer.
– But when it comes to the opening hours in the tourist rooms, we have already implemented strict restrictions on our offer. “We’ve moved trails and actually cabins,” he says.
He faces doubt in ministry
Kjersti Bjørnstad (SP), State Secretary of the Ministry of Climate and Environment, is pleased with the local commitment, but is not convinced that such a pilot project is the solution.
He points out that this is challenging in relation to the rights of the public in the Outdoor Activities Act, particularly the Eøs provisions on the discrimination between local residents and visitors.
State Secretary Kjersti Bjørnstad (Sp).
Photo: TROND ISAKSEN / © PHOTO TROND ISAKSEN
– I have more faith in spending more resources to get traffic to the right areas and the right routes. Now give good information about why it’s not a good idea to go to a certain area, he says.
Next year, the government will submit a parliamentary report on wild reindeer. In 2025, it will be subject to consultation before the government decides on what measures will be implemented to maintain wild reindeer.
– Better with positive facilitation
Olav Strand, a researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Natural Sciences, says he will not comment directly on the proposal.
– but I can generally say that I’m skeptical of activities involving sanctions. It is great to engage in positive amenities by getting tourists to walk some of the trails.
Olav Strand is a researcher at the Norwegian Institute for Natural Sciences. He is skeptical of Dovre Ape’s proposal.
Photo: Sindre Schrader
He mentions the so-called “musk trail” in Dovrefjell, which leads to a less vulnerable area.
The game app shows traffic in vulnerable areas
Ida Ample Rouge agrees that this route worked well.
– The only problem is that there are measurements from the training application Strava Apart from this type of route, it shows that tourists flock to the mountain in large numbers.
He believes this shows that the proposed project has the right to live. Roughly five percent of tourists use Strava, says Rouge.
As for the common law, she believes it is not at risk.
– What about traffic restrictions on the Oslo Fjord and the many islands there at certain times? And Dovrefjell on Fokstumyra, are there restrictions?
– There is nothing new or dramatic about introducing regulations in our vulnerable areas, he says.
Reindeer is vulnerable to the large number of tourists who want to get up close to Musk and experience wild reindeer.
Photo: Svein Hjelmeset
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