Climate change could wipe out most Arctic reindeer in 75 years

By Stephen Beech

Arctic reindeer numbers could decline by 80% within 75 years due to global warming, warns new research.

Future climatic change is likely to cause declines in reindeer populations and their distribution at rates rarely seen over the last 21,000 years, say scientists.

Reindeer - also known as caribou in North America - are an Ice Age species that have survived many episodes of Arctic warming .

They are uniquely adapted to Arctic environments , where they regulate ecosystems and sustain the livelihoods of many indigenous people.

But, despite being one of the most abundant herbivores in the Arctic , climate change has contributed to a loss of nearly two-thirds of their global number over the last three decades.

An international research team looked back 21,000 yea