Norway

In April 2006, the Norwegian government launched a White Paper on an integrated management plan for the Norwegian part of the Barents Sea. The plan provides a framework for managing all human activities (oil and gas industry, fishing, and shipping) in the area to ensure the continued health, production, and function of the Barents Sea ecosystem. The plan covers 1,400,000 km2—about four times the size of Norway’s land area.

What stimulates spatial planning in the Barents Sea-Lofoten Area?

The plan represents the integration of previously separate management regimes. The management of fisheries, shipping, and the hydrocarbon industry were brought together under one umbrella to coordinate efforts and to achieve a healthy ecosystem.

Achieving measurable improvements in all sectors are envisaged by implementing: (a) area-based management to resolve conflicts between activities and protecting the environment; (b) continuation of established management measures regulating the various activities; (c) implementation of environmental quality objectivess; and (d) increased focus on international cooperation.

The plan identifies ecologically valuable areas and requires strict regulation of activities in these areas. To reduce conflict between fisheries and shipping, Norway has applied (through the International Maritime Organization) to move shipping lanes outside Norwegian territorial waters (its 12-mile limit). To avoid future conflict, some areas will be closed to hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation.

Several new sector-specific area-based measures are also considered, including plans for extension of marine protected areas and the use of seasonally closed areas to protect spawning aggregations, fish eggs and larvae, and juvenile fish and shellfish. The Barents Sea plan contains detailed objectives and regulations in addition to high-level goals.

Development of spatial planning in the Barents Sea-Lofoten Area

The work was led by a governmental steering group, chaired by the Ministry of the Environment, with representatives from other relevant ministries. The plan was developed between 2002-06. The background assessments were based on scenarios up to the year 2020. Major revisions are planned every four years.

Status reports were prepared by governmental institutions or by consultants, covering the state of the marine environment, the coastal zone, fisheries, aquaculture, especially valuable areas, and shipping.

The initial reports uncovered major gaps in current knowledge. Therefore, a key principle was to use caution in the face of uncertainty. Determining the boundaries was another important issue, which included considerations of the ecosystem, economics, and politics.

Four extensive government-funded Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) were carried out, covering the impact of fisheries, shipping, hydrocarbon extraction, and external pressures (e.g. pollution) on the environment, resources, and local communities. To ensure compatibility among the EIAs, a set of common variables was used to compare impacts across sectors.

Impacts were assessed in relation to the starting situation (i.e. 2003) and in relation to expected future impacts up to 2020, with uncertainty obviously increasing over time. The EIA results were brought together and analyzed in more detail, focusing on: (a) the total impact of all human activities combined, both for the current situation and up to 2020; (b) area conflicts among human activities, and between human use and ecologically-valuable areas; (c) the definition of high-level management goals required for implementation; and (d) identification of gaps in current knowledge.

Similar management plans are being developed for the Norwegian Sea and the Norwegian part of the North Sea.

Further information

For additional information visit the website of the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment.

Additional reading is also available on the references page of this website

Last updated: 28 January 2010