COPENHAGEN — A reindeer herder from the indigenous Sami community in the Norwegian Arctic on Thursday lost a much-publicized case at Norway’s top court over a ruling that he must cull 41 of his 116-strong herd.

The herder, Jovsset Ante Sara, who had twice successfully challenged a government order to reduce the size of his herd, claimed that he cannot make a living with that scale of culling.

The government had appealed because its policy aims to prevent overgrazing on the tundra, where Norway’s estimated 220,000 reindeer live.

Norway’s Supreme Court said Thursday that the cull order did not violate Mr. Sara’s rights.

“As I read it, the ruling doesn’t take into account the rights of the Sami people,” said Trond Pedersen Biti, a defense lawyer in the case, adding that an appeal would be made to the Human Rights Council, the United Nations body charged with promoting and protecting human rights.