Document 3:9 (2025–2026) / Published Mapping of nature values and climate impacts as a basis for decisions in land-use management
Mapping of nature values and climate impacts as a basis for decisions in land-use management Important nature can be lost without the decision-maker having sufficient knowledge. Building down land has a significant impact on both biodiversity and greenhouse gas emissions.
-
(PDF, 9.35 MB)
The pdf-file is in Norwegian
Brief background
- The loss of nature and greenhouse gas emissions are closely linked.
- Land use has a major impact on both biodiversity and the climate.
- Safeguarding biodiversity and reducing greenhouse gas emissions are key objectives of Norwegian environmental policy.
- Municipalities are the primary authorities responsible for land-use management.
- The Ministry of Climate and Environment and the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development have overall responsibility for ensuring that the policy instruments function as intended.
Overall assessment
It is unsatisfactory that the Ministry of Climate and Environment and the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development have not ensured an adequate knowledge base for the management of nature, even though building down land is a significant impact factor on both biodiversity and greenhouse gas emissions.
Although a knowledge-based management system has been a goal for 25 years, the ministries have not ensured sufficient knowledge about the nature that is being lost, nor have they sufficiently facilitated informed decisions in the municipalities in the event of land-use changes.
Conclusions
- Norway is building down valuable nature, but there are weaknesses in the knowledge base
- The scope and quality of the mapping of natural values and climate impacts are too limited to provide the responsible authorities with a good basis for nature management
- The municipalities often do not have a sufficient overview of natural values to make informed decisions in the event of land-use changes
- Central government agencies seem to have a better overview of natural values in when they consider land-use changes
Recommendations
We recommend that the Ministry of Climate and Environment:
- in the work on developing natural capital accounting, facilitates systematic and comparable knowledge about the loss and degradation of valuable natural areas.
- further develop the system for nature mapping so that it facilitates decent quality in habitat type mapping.
- in the further work on the follow-up of ecological base maps ensures that the solution provides objective and quality-assured nature data that can be used across sectors.
We recommend that the Ministry of Climate and Environment and the Ministry of Local Government and Regional Development:
- strengthen the work of guiding the municipalities so that they acquire the necessary expertise in safeguarding nature and climate in land management.
- facilitates that nature surveys provide sufficient information about natural values.
We recommend that the Ministry of Climate and Environment and the Ministry of Agriculture and Food coordinate their work on mapping nature based on the goal of ensuring a common knowledge base for nature.