Question of land use control

In addition to the particular conflicts between reindeer herding and forestry, it also needs to be pointed out that general issues of land use control and questions of the legal land ownership remain unsettled between the state and the Sámi people. As Finland currently is looking for ways to ratify the ILO Convention 169 on Indigenous and Tribal People, there are processes going on to find solutions to the land question. In an official report published by the Ministry of Justice in 2000, it is also suggested that reindeer herding, as an integral part of the Sámi culture, should be given a significantly stronger status in issues concerning land use in the Sámi area. So far no significant practical steps have been taken in this direction.

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