In the world heritage fjord Nærøyfjorden in Sogn is a mine where the rock anorthosite is extracted. The rock is used, among other things, in insulation and light asphalt. But now the World Conservation Union (IUCN) wants to close the mine. In the last fifteen years, the mine, which is located far up in the narrow Nærøydalen, has doubled its production to around 500,000 tonnes. In a report prepared on behalf of Unesco, the organization recommends that mining in the World Heritage Fjord should be stopped. It is the Norwegian state that has asked for advice on how the world heritage area should be managed. – Mining in the world heritage area should be phased out as soon as possible, and the mining area should be returned to its original state, the report states. The professionals behind the report are both worried about transport linked to mining, waste management and that the extraction from mining will change the original landscape. It was the newspaper Aurlendingen that first mentioned the report. Norway currently has eight places on Unesco’s list of cultural heritage sites in the world. Gudvangen Stein runs underground mining in Jordalsnuten in Nærøydalen in Aurland. Photo: Gudvangen Stein World Heritage in Norway Norway has eight sites on UNESCO’s list of cultural and natural heritage in the world: Bryggen in Bergen (1979) Urnes Stave Church (1979) Røros Bergstad and Circumferensen (1980 and expanded in 2010) Rock Art in Alta (1985) Vegaøyan (2004) Struve’s meridian arc – four Norwegian points (2005) West Norwegian fjord landscape – Geirangerfjorden and Nerøyfjorden (2005) Rjukan-Notodden industrial heritage (2015) The first four Norwegian World Heritage cities are cultural cities. In 2004, Norway got its first cultural landscape on the list – Vegaøyan. West Norwegian fjord landscape is the first natural area Norway has received on the list. In addition, there are three, soon to be four, entries on UNESCO’s list of global geoparks. Source: Unesco.no Cultural heritage and commercial interests The mine has been an important workplace in the poor Vestlandsbygd since the 1950s. Conservation interests are now compared to commercial activity. For the local community, mining means jobs, turnover and activity. It is precisely the trade-off between taking care of the landscape and people living in the municipality that mayor Trygve Skjerdal finds difficult. He is also the leader of the World Heritage Council for the West Norwegian fjord landscape. – It is difficult to accept that we are phasing out an industry that existed before the Unesco stamp came. He wants to find a solution to both continue with mining and secure the world heritage status. Chairman of Gudvangen Stein AS, Arnstein Bjørke believes that it must be possible to combine the world heritage status with business operations. – From time to time I get the impression that people associated with Unesco are most concerned with turning Nærøydalen into a museum. According to him, they are constantly working to become greener, for example by electrifying production and transport, and establishing land-based electricity. The Nærøyfjord almost runs into the Sognefjord. Photo: Katrin Moe – Scary and incomprehensible Bjørke also points out that the rock they are extracting is important for a green transition. He therefore believes that it is both “scary and incomprehensible” that it is then proposed to close down “a socially critical raw material production at a time when, elsewhere in Europe, one is concerned with the green shift and self-sufficiency.” As of today, China controls 98 percent of the rare earth species that Europe needs for a more environmentally friendly society. The government has announced a new mineral strategy, and under this five measures to stimulate activity. The reason is, among other things, demand for minerals for the green transition. Earlier in May, Høgre also launched a new mineral strategy to speed up Norwegian mining operations. Down by the Nærøyfjord, at the Gudvangen ferry quay, mining still shows in the landscape. Here the masses are stored before shipping to the customer. Photo: Steinar Lote / news – Healthy with an outside view At the same time, mining can also affect nature, as the report to the World Conservation Union is concerned about. Leader Truls Gulowsen of the Nature Conservation Association believes that special care must be taken in world heritage areas. – I think it is wise and healthy for Norwegian nature and land management to look from the outside at how we manage care for nature and local businesses in world-class landscapes like here, says Gulowsen. He points out that the world heritage status has contributed to increasing interest in the Nærøyfjorden and Geiranger as tourist destinations. – Then it is also logical that the work for the protection of natural qualities will also be strengthened against other concerns in the future.
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Unesco wants to remove mining in the world heritage fjord Nærøyfjorden in Sogn – news Vestland
