Out in a forest in Bamble municipality in Telemark, the snow has settled like a thick blanket. It’s quiet out here. The exception is the rhythmic sound of trudging winter boots. But Geir Vala and Petter Ellefsen are not here to seek the peace of the forest. On the contrary, parts of this forest have proven to be an unsettling moment for the trio. – This is the area we have had a bit of an argument with the State Administrator about, says Petter Ellefsen. He is a senior consultant at Frier Vest. The company is in the process of building one of the country’s largest business parks here along the Frierfjorden. Then it is very inappropriate that there are hollow oak trees and several other important nature types in parts of the planning area. Most hollow oaks are over 200 years old. But fewer and fewer oak trees are allowed to stand alone long enough to get that old. Photo: Andrea LyngholmMost hollow oaks are over 200 years old. But fewer and fewer oak trees are allowed to stand alone long enough to get that old. Photo: Andrea Lyngholm More than 1,500 species of insects, fungi and lichens, many of them rare or red-listed species, have hollow oak trees as their only habitat. The trees are actually considered so important to the ecosystem that they are automatically protected by the Natural Diversity Act. Hollow oaks continue to serve as insect food dishes even after they die and fall to the ground. Therefore, the company proposes that they can dig up the trees and put the tree trunks back on the edge of the area with the same soil after the construction is finished. In a kind of wooden cemetery. It does not go down well with those concerned with preserving nature. Geir Vala and Petter Ellefsen from the company Frier Vest have big plans for this piece of Norwegian nature, but they have encountered obstacles in the forest. Photo: Andrea Lyngholm / NRKGeir Vala and Petter Ellefsen from the company Frier Vest have big plans for this piece of Norwegian nature nature, but they have encountered obstacles in the forest. Photo: Andrea Lyngholm / news Clever solutions It is not uncommon to encounter nature when building in nature-rich Norway. But what do we do when we encounter important natural values that we have agreed to preserve? It is often a compromise or a cunning solution when nature – literally – gets in the way. The tree in the way Photo: Bjørn Bækkelund/Norsk Skogmuseum The Swedish Road Administration did not have time to wait for the protection of an old oak tree to be lifted when they were to build county road 49. So they simply chose to build the road around the oak at Tørvikbygd in Hardanger. The trees on the hill Around half a million square meters of forest were cut down to make way for the Grenlandsporten business park in Porsgrunn municipality. The developers agreed with the state administrator that they could remove seven areas with different types of important forest, as long as they took care of the most important natural values in the area. This was the solution. Photo: Jon Stabell Sauge / news Asphalting of bog In Helgeland, a road builder has asphalted a 3,000-year-old bog in order to build a motorway in a more environmentally friendly way. By compressing the marsh to half its size and laying the motorway on top, they will prevent 90 per cent of the carbon from being released into the atmosphere. The Norwegian Public Roads Administration praises it, while conservationists point out that the solution will still destroy animal and plant life in the moor. Photo: Frank Nygård / news Photo: Frank Nygård / news Salamander dam Vestby municipality moved endangered salamanders from their natural pond to a man-made pond to make way for a new business park. The move was a success, thanks to the help of biologists and conservationists. The new pond is considered one of the 10 best environments for amphibians such as frogs and toads, tree frogs and salamanders. But many want more. In 2023, it was decided that the business park will be expanded, so the municipality will move the dam again. This time the conservationists refuse to contribute, and have instead reported the municipality to the police for environmental crime. Photo: LEIF ÅGE STRAND, NADIR ALAM Trekirkegården Lindesnes municipality wants to cut down over 8,000 square meters of coastal nature, in order to establish one of Norway’s largest quarries for the production and export of stone. Locals fear the plans will lead to a ruined archipelago. Photo: news Photo: news The Nature Conservancy reacted strongly when they heard what the municipality had planned for the trees growing at Sodevika harbour. “Hollow oaks and trunks and branches from coarse deciduous trees should be placed in a tree cemetery where the trees can rot in peace”, was the proposal. The state administrator in Agder has raised several objections on behalf of nature, although they are positive about the idea of a wooden cemetery. The matter has still not been resolved and the demolition has been postponed. Fish in the tunnel When the new and safer E39 motorway was to be built, the company Nye Veier had to fill in an entire valley at Lohnelier in Southern Norway. The road would also cross a river, which is important for the fish to be able to swim up to spawn, or lay eggs. The solution was that the river was laid in a 200 meter long tunnel. Photo: Patrick da Silva Sæther / news Nye Veier brought in specialist expertise to maintain the fish’s migration opportunities. Among other things, they covered the bottom with spawning gravel and stones that are adapted to the needs of the fish. The good news is that the fish have continued to spawn in the river even after the road was built. It also acts as a crossing for small game, allowing them to cross the new motorway. No overview of nature loss In Norway, it is the municipalities themselves that decide what and where to build. But no one has a full overview of how and how much nature we sacrifice in total in Norway. There is no national nature account. Therefore, news has used artificial intelligence and journalistic methods to map all nature encroachments in Norway in the period 2017 to 2022. What we found was startling. Even in the areas we as a society have agreed to take care of, we found millions of square meters of new encroachment every year. We found construction sites in areas defined by the authorities as important or very important. Decommissioning that affects wild reindeer areas, marshes, rivers, coastal zones and red-listed habitat types that are in danger of becoming extinct. In the vast majority of cases, the developer has been granted a dispensation or entered into a compromise in order to make legal interventions in natural areas that should actually be preserved. And some of the construction projects are important to society, such as hospitals, motorways or industries that create jobs in the municipalities. And since we have so much nature in Norway, isn’t it better to meet in the middle and make compromises? Natural philosopher: – Money sucks Natural philosopher Sindre Brennhagen believes that the days of compromise are numbered. – Nature is always the losing party, and it has been for a long time. Although all information indicates that the natural crisis is acute and increasing, we are just continuing in our usual tracks, says Brennhagen. The natural philosopher believes that it is almost self-destructive how we manage our nature. Photo: Patrick da Silva Sæther / news The natural philosopher believes it is almost self-destructive how we manage our nature. Photo: Patrick da Silva Sæther / news He believes that the compromises cover the negative consequences that the construction has on nature. – I fear that it makes it possible for capital-strong actors to wash their hands clean, he says. He believes that the main problem is that money is raw in our society. – We always put money before other considerations. The problem is that it is impossible to convert nature’s value into kroner and øre. In the same way that you can’t put a price tag on a human life, you can’t put a price tag on a wetland either, he says. Fears serious environmental damage in the forest In this snow-covered area of 400,000 square metres, Frier Vest wants to clear the forest so that they can offer a large enough space for a potential actor who will produce hydrogen. – Most things are convenient here, says Geir Vala, general manager of Frier Vest. Photo: Andra Lyngholm / news Photo: Andra Lyngholm / news He points out that there is a lot of professional expertise and large industrial areas nearby, which make this forest area ideal for the development of the industrial park. – If we are to invest in green industry and build things that have great social value, in some cases you have to be willing to sacrifice some nature, says Vala. Grethe Helgås is environmental director at the State Administrator in Vestfold and Telemark. She says that the authorities also want to invest in green industry, but there is a limit somewhere. – The plans for Frier Vest will lead to “serious environmental damage” in this area. We found both several species and habitat types that are vulnerable and threatened, says Helgås. They write in their objection that “11 nature types of national interest will disappear.” Helgås points out that we are in a nature crisis and that it is demanding to find a balance between development and protection of nature. – But we must try to take care of the most valuable nature, she says. Photo: Andrea Lyngholm / news Photo: Andrea Lyngholm / news The State Administrator receives support from the Norwegian Environment Agency, which believes that the development will lead to the reduction of large natural areas, loss of nationally or significantly regionally important natural diversity and will cause large greenhouse gas emissions. They want these eleven areas to be taken out of the building plan. But Frier Vest believes it is impossible, because the area will then be too small to attract the big players to build factories there. Climate versus nature Hallgeir Kjeldal was mayor of Bamble when the project was discussed in the municipal council in 2021. At that time there was a cross-party agreement to give the green light to Frier Vest. He believes the business park will create an incredible amount of value creation in the municipality. It must be mentioned here that the municipality itself owns a large part of the company that wants to build this business park. Photo: Andrea Lopez Lyngholm / news Photo: Andrea Lopez Lyngholm / news The former mayor says that Grenland is an area with very high natural qualities. So almost wherever you want to build, you will face some challenge with nature. – It is better that we build on forest areas that are close to already existing industry than to put it on a completely virgin natural area, he says. He says that it is a paradox when climate considerations and nature considerations end up on opposite sides of the scale. Natural philosopher Sindre Brennhagen does not agree with this premise. Photo: Patrick da Silva Sæther / news – We are in a climate and nature crisis, not a climate or nature crisis. Climate and nature are inextricably intertwined. Sacrificing vulnerable natural areas to facilitate so-called green industry is like shooting yourself in the foot before you run a marathon, says Brennhagen. In Bamble, it is now up to higher powers to decide. The matter is up with the Ministry of Local Government and District Affairs, which has the final word on the matter. Does nature have to give way this time too? It remains to be seen. Lost nature while you have read this case: More about lost nature: Bård is thrown on a journey in a country with forests that are not forests and fjords that are not fjords. Understand it whoever can.
ttn-69
When nature gets in the way – Documentary
