news’s revelations about the Norwegian nature crisis have shaken the Norwegian people. They demonstrate weaknesses in Norwegian nature management with facts and communication strategies that command great respect. Many people have contacted us at the Nature Conservation Association to express grief, anger and powerlessness, but also gratitude that the nature crisis is finally getting a place on the public broadcaster. We are impressed by both data journalism and communication. We are also proud that many of our tips and issues are raised in the programme. It gives us new energy in the environmental fight. The natural crisis is extensive, and there are many more issues that need our spotlight. Clear-cutting and state-subsidized construction of forest roads, the predator policy, that Norwegian sea areas are among the hardest bottom trawled in the world, kelp trawling, salmon farming, environmental toxins, the over-consumption of power, clothing, electronics and other goods, the loss of species in the cultural landscape when traditional farms and ranches are shut down , are all examples of Norwegian environmental problems that this strong series could deal with more deeply. The same applies to climate change’s effect on natural diversity and the effect of nature loss on the climate account. But three hours of airtime is not enough to address all issues. And the picture news shows is in line with what the Nature Conservation Association’s local teams are experiencing across the country: Norwegian nature has poor legal protection. There is no overarching “system” that fits nature. Therefore, even very valuable natural areas are destroyed bit by bit, without an overview of the consequences. It’s dramatic. In a chronicle on news Ytring, mathematics professor emeritus Kristoffer Rypdal criticizes the Nature Conservation Association for praising news. He claims that news’s report on 44,000 lost natural areas in the last 5 years is not scientific enough. For that, it is enough to say that news has collaborated with the Norwegian Institute for Natural Sciences (NINA), who are open with their scientific method. It is also thoroughly scientifically documented that land loss is the most important reason why animals, plants and insects become extinct worldwide. news and NINA emphasize that the 44,000 interventions are a minimum. Major interventions such as clear-cutting and forest roads are not included. This is important, because forestry’s environmental impact is in a class of its own: Conservatively estimated, a full 48,000 square kilometers of Norwegian forest have been cleared in the last 50 years, and old natural forest is still being cleared. Only bottom trawling affects larger areas. The overview from news and NINA is far better than the state’s own. When the Nature Conservation Association wanted to show what kind of activities contributed to the degradation of nature in Norway three years ago, we found that public statistics were almost non-existent. Thus, we had to create the overview ourselves. A similar thing happened when the environmental organization Sabima wanted an overview of how much nature is planned to be developed. Through collaboration with NINA and all the country’s municipalities, they were able to show that a full 2,100 square kilometers of nature has already been approved for decommissioning. news has shown that many of the 44,000 nature encroachments in recent years are in valuable nature types such as bogs, old-growth forests, oak forests, wild reindeer areas, beach zones etc. Unfortunately, we also see the same pattern in what is ready for construction. Fortunately, municipal plans can be changed, with what we call plan washing for nature. The Norwegian Environment Agency has reacted to the findings and stated that Norway will neither achieve its natural goals nor our climate goals unless we change course. Therefore, we need a clearer framework for municipal self-government, with land and nature neutrality as the leading principle. The climate consequences of nature loss bring me to Rypdal’s second point of appeal: “that the TV program Oppsynsmannen does not pit nature against climate”. Here it is sufficient to point out that both the UN climate panel and the UN nature panel emphasized that the two crises must be solved in conjunction. Degradation of nature is also a climate problem. Today’s Norwegian nature management, with the almost uncontrolled destruction of both vulnerable and less vulnerable nature, deserves attention and improvement. Based on most people’s reactions, I feel confident that most people agree with us, and that many are surprised that the State does not have better control. news has put the spotlight on important challenges for Norwegian nature. Now that many more people have seen how bad it actually is, I am more optimistic about the future. With good knowledge of both problems and solutions, we can change the world together. But it is urgent.
ttn-69
A strong story about nature in crisis – Expression
