– We will develop a map that will enable both the state and all the country’s municipalities to get an overview of nature. This is absolutely necessary to put in place if we are to preserve nature, says Climate and Environment Minister Andreas Bjelland Eriksen. In January, news revealed that no one has an overview of how we treat nature in Norway. The authorities did not know either how many nature interventions were carried out or what kind of nature was destroyed. news’s own mapping, made with artificial intelligence and satellite images, showed the overview the authorities were missing: 44,000 nature encroachments in five years. Every day, particularly vulnerable nature equivalent to two football pitches is sacrificed. NORWAY IN RED, WHITE AND GRAY: This is what it looked like when news surveyed nature encroachment in Norway. Thousands upon thousands of gray aerial photos that the authorities had no overview of. Photo: Norway in pictures / The Mapping Authority Promises full force A number of media, politicians and organizations demanded action. And in the upcoming state budget, the government is setting aside NOK 50 million for the Norwegian Environment Agency and Statistics Norway to provide precisely that overview. – This map will help the municipalities to see where it is okay to build schools, nursing homes and kindergartens – and where it is not okay, says the climate and environment minister. The money, which according to the minister comes as a direct consequence of news’s revelations, will go to what the government calls a natural accounting. In other words, a full overview of nature in Norway where you can see changes from year to year in a map. In the past, the government has spent NOK 15 million on a kind of pilot project of this accounting, but now Bjelland Eriksen is promising full force, including the use of state-of-the-art tools. – My advantage, which none of my predecessors has had, is that we have access to satellite images and artificial intelligence, which enables us to develop tools we have never had before. I believe that accounting will have a great effect. In the long term, the aim is to have such a detailed map in place that the municipalities can search for possible building areas and quickly get an overview of the values that lie there – before they start time-consuming planning processes. There is already a public register of nature, Naturbase, but the information there is often insufficient. Many natural areas are only described with the label “forest” or “bog”, without information about how old or important the forest is – unless a biologist happened to be out there and recorded values. This makes it difficult for both developers and municipalities to plan construction in the most gentle places possible from the very beginning of a building project. Instead, you risk getting a surprise when you send in a biologist in the last phase. news recently documented a planning process in Fredrikstad that went on for years without the politicians being able to read a single sentence about the natural values in the area. Eventually it became difficult to turn around. – I have a dream that this tool will ensure that we get better assessments right from the start, so we can avoid processes going on for many years before we know what biological diversity exists in an area, says Bjelland Eriksen. Will take several years A preliminary version of the nature account is expected by 2026, while a really useful version, where you can search for every single natural area in the country, is still several years away. – When will you have a map in place that can be used by the municipalities in the way you outline? – We must ensure that it happens as quickly as possible. And that is why we are spending so much money now, says the minister. CRITICAL: Une Bastholm visiting the Tofteberg forest, where Fredrikstad municipality is planning Viken Park. Here together with city council representative in Fredrikstad Gunhild Vigdisdatter. Photo: Even Bjøringsøy Johnsen / news Calls for concrete action Storting representative Une Bastholm from the Green Party is among those who demanded measures from the government following news’s revelations. She is happy that the government is giving 50 million to nature accounting, but is calling for measures that are not just on the map. – The destruction of nature in Norway is completely out of control. It is high time for a better map, but it does not solve the problem alone. Bastholm points to a number of changes the government could introduce, such as strengthening the state administrators or introducing land neutrality in the municipalities. – We already have enough knowledge to realize that we should avoid building motorways through protected spring land or cutting down the last of our primeval forests, says Bastholm. MORE MEASURES ARE REQUIRED: Une Bastholm, Green Party. Photo: Marthe Synnøve Johannessen / news Promises many more measures The climate and environment minister, for his part, assures that the government is far from finished with launching a new nature policy. There will be “lots of measures” in an action plan for nature which is scheduled to be launched this autumn, says Andreas Bjelland Eriksen. – There has been a change in recent months. There are even more people who want to take part in the hard work of taking care of our nature. We have used that for all it is worth in the work on the upcoming nature report. There will be more measures. – In the nature field, I feel that there is now quite a large consensus that we must take action, he concludes. Lost nature while you have read this case: Published 01.09.2024, at 18.15
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The government gives 50 million to nature maps after news’s revelations – news Dokumentar
