Norway

Meld. St. 35 (2023–2024) Sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity

1. Overview

Norway's third National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan is delivered as a White Paper from the Government to the Storting, recommended by the Ministry of Climate and Environment on 27 September 2024 [§33][§361]. It succeeds the 2016 White Paper Nature for Life and sets the country's response to the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) [§4][§5].

The NBSAP structures its pledges as 23 national targets, each aligned one-to-one with a GBF Target*, and situates these within three pre-existing standing goals covering ecosystem condition, prevention of species and habitat extinction, and representative conservation [§12][§31][§138]. A further layer of 24 overarching national environmental goals across biodiversity, pollution, cultural heritage, climate and the polar regions is reported annually to the Storting through the budget process [§31]. The plan also maps commitments against KMGBF Goals A–D [§356–§360].

*Norway's NBSAP refers to its pledges as "national targets". This page uses "national commitment" to avoid confusion with the 23 GBF Targets, and "instrument" for named programmes, acts and mechanisms.

Four new delivery instruments are introduced together: Regular Reviews (four-yearly reporting to the Storting), Nature accounting (first SEEA EA accounts due 2026), ecosystem-by-ecosystem Menus of Measures (starting with forests), and a set of principles for sustainable spatial management [§6–§9][§95][§96][§102]. The plan identifies land-use change as "the most significant driver of biodiversity loss" in Norway, and explicitly acknowledges that climate and biodiversity objectives may conflict — in renewable energy, mineral extraction, and green-transition industries — with trade-offs "continuously assessed and balanced" [§4][§13].

The NBSAP is a White Paper layered on durable statutory architecture (Nature Diversity Act, Planning and Building Act, Svalbard Environmental Act, Marine Resources Act), commits to protecting 30 per cent of terrestrial areas including Svalbard and Jan Mayen by 2030, and defers a corresponding marine target pending an OECM assessment. Delivery rests on four-yearly Regular Reviews, SEEA-aligned nature accounts, ecosystem Menus of Measures, and local authorities — which manage roughly 83 per cent of mainland land.

Sources:

• §4–§13 — 1 Summary
• §31 — 2.5 Norway's climate and environmental goals
• §33 — 2.7 Work on the report – process and involvement
• §95–§102 — 5.1–5.3 Regular Reviews, Nature accounting, Menus of Measures
• §138 — 6 Commitments to the KMGBF
• §356–§360 — 6.24 Global goals A–D
• §361 — 7 Economic and administrative consequences

2. Ecological Context

Norway spans open oceans to high mountains and the High Arctic, with 26 geographical vegetation regions — compared with 10 in Finland and 17 in Sweden — and a coastline exceeding 100,000 kilometres, equivalent to 2.5 times the Earth's circumference [§34][§36]. Sea areas under Norwegian jurisdiction are more than six times the mainland area [§36]. An estimated 72,000 species excluding bacteria and viruses occur in Norway; 976 are classified as national responsibility species, for which 25 per cent or more of the European population lives in Norway [§34].

The 2021 Red List of Species assessed 23,405 species; 4,957 (21 per cent) are red-listed and 2,752 (11.8 per cent) are classified as Critically Endangered, Endangered or Vulnerable [§34][§35]. The 2018 Red List of Ecosystems and Habitat Types found 123 of 258 habitat types (48 per cent) red-listed [§35]. Land- and sea-use change is the dominant pressure, affecting nine in ten endangered species, followed by alien species, climate change, pollution and over-harvesting [§35].

Distinctive condition signals recur across ecosystems. Seabirds are estimated to have declined by 80 per cent between 1970 and 2020, and 63 per cent of typical seabird species are red-listed [§38]. Salmon returns in 2022 were among the lowest ever recorded, with aquaculture-linked impacts (escaped farmed salmon and salmon lice) identified as "the most severe" for wild salmon and sea trout [§46]. Forests cover 38 per cent of the mainland and are associated with roughly 60 per cent of known species and 48 per cent of red-listed species [§51][§53]. In cultural landscapes, breeding-bird populations are half their late-1990s levels, and 56 per cent of all endangered species are primarily associated with semi-natural land and open lowlands [§57]. On Svalbard, annual temperatures rose 3–4°C from 1971 to 2017; multi-year polar sea ice is classified Critically Endangered [§64][§65]. Twenty glaciers have disappeared between the 1999–2006 and 2018–2019 mapping rounds [§61]. More than 82 per cent of the population lives in urban areas, most built on what were originally productive, biodiverse lowlands [§69].

Sources:

• §34–§38 — 3.1–3.2.1 Nature, oceans and coasts
• §41–§50 — 3.2.2–3.2.3 Rivers, lakes and wetlands
• §51–§57 — 3.2.4–3.2.5 Forests, cultural landscapes
• §59–§69 — 3.2.6–3.2.8 Mountains, polar, urban

3. National Commitments and GBF Alignment

Norway's 23 national commitments are aligned one-to-one with the 23 GBF Targets [§12][§138]. They sit over three standing overarching goals — ecosystems in good condition and delivering services; no species or habitat type to go extinct with improved status for threatened taxa; and a representative selection of Norwegian biodiversity conserved [§31]. For navigability, commitments are grouped here into four thematic clusters matching the NBSAP's own structure.

Conditions of nature (Targets 1–3)

• GBF Target 1 — Spatial planning. By 2030 reduce development in areas of especially high ecological integrity, and by 2050 limit net loss of such areas "to a minimum", with biodiversity-inclusive planning that respects local governance and Indigenous Peoples' rights [§154]. Directional aspiration.
• GBF Target 2 — Restoration. By 2030 document the extent of degraded natural areas and strengthen restoration where societal co-benefits are highest [§164]. Directional aspiration with measurable documentation milestone.
• GBF Target 3 — Protected areas. At least 30 per cent of terrestrial areas, including Svalbard and Jan Mayen, effectively conserved and managed through protected areas or OECMs by 2030 [§178]. Current mainland+polar protection is 25.7 per cent, with ongoing forest and lowland processes expected to add roughly 2 percentage points and OECMs an expected 4.5 percentage points. For marine areas, "Norway will consider the modalities of a national target" after the OECM assessment is completed and "will get back with a plan" [§178]. Measurable commitment (terrestrial); interim commitment (marine).

Pressures and species (Targets 4–8)

• GBF Target 4 — Species and genetic diversity. Strengthen management to improve population development or extinction risk of threatened and near-threatened species and habitat types; maintain genetic diversity of wild and domesticated species [§186]. Delivery vehicle is the Follow-up Plan for Endangered Nature (23 species, 16 habitat types, 8 ministries, to 2035) — see Action Portfolio. Directional aspiration with delivery-plan milestones.
• GBF Target 5 — Sustainable harvest. Continue ecosystem-based promotion of sustainable, safe and legal use, harvesting and trade of wild species [§192]. Directional aspiration.
• GBF Target 6 — Invasive alien species. Reduce impacts and rates of introduction and establishment of IAS [§199]. Directional aspiration.
• GBF Target 7 — Pollution. By 2030, pollution from substances of very high concern, hazardous substances, acid rain, agricultural nutrient losses, wastewater, aquaculture and other industry "has low impact on biodiversity" [§211]. Directional aspiration (no quantitative threshold).
• GBF Target 8 — Climate and biodiversity. Improve nature's resilience, expand nature-based solutions, "while limiting negative impacts of climate action on biodiversity" [§223]. Quantified sub-commitments: 30 per cent energy-intensity improvement 2015→2030 and 10 TWh building-stock power reduction by 2030 [§219]. Measurable commitment on energy metrics; directional elsewhere.

Sustainable use and services (Targets 9–13)

• GBF Target 9 — Wild species use. Ensure sustainable management providing benefits while protecting traditional sustainable use by Indigenous Peoples and local communities [§228]. Directional aspiration.
• GBF Target 10 — Primary industries. By 2030, agriculture, aquaculture, fisheries, reindeer husbandry and forestry managed sustainably through biodiversity-friendly practices [§241]. Fixed sub-commitments: agricultural-land reallocation below 2,000 decares/year by 2030; sea trout into the Traffic Light System from 2026; natural-forest map by end 2024 [§233][§236]. Measurable commitment on quantified sub-points.
• GBF Target 11 — Nature's contributions to people. Ecosystem functions and services improved by 2030, with results in nature accounts; initial SEEA EA accounts (crops, timber, pollination, environmental control, nature-based tourism) presented in 2026 [§249]. Measurable commitment on accounts milestone.
• GBF Target 12 — Urban biodiversity. By 2030, area, quality and connectivity of blue and green spaces in urban and densely populated areas increased, prioritising native species [§257]. Directional aspiration.
• GBF Target 13 — Genetic resources / ABS. Facilitate access to national genetic resources in line with international ABS instruments; encourage compliant use; participate in the multilateral mechanism for benefit-sharing from digital sequence information [§265]. Standing 0.1 per cent of Norwegian seed revenue contributed annually to the Plant Treaty's benefit-sharing fund since 2009 [§261]. Measurable commitment on the seed-revenue contribution.

Tools, finance and implementation (Targets 14–23)

• GBF Target 14 — Mainstreaming. Biodiversity and its multiple values better integrated into decision-making via Menus of Measures and ecosystem accounting; four-yearly Storting reporting [§277]. Directional aspiration.
• GBF Target 15 — Business disclosure. By 2030, Norway has taken measures to enable business preparation and disclosure of nature risk and impacts in a comparable, decision-relevant way [§285]. Delivery tracks CSRD implementation and an ongoing review of extending the Transparency Act to environment [§281]. Directional aspiration.
• GBF Target 16 — Sustainable consumption. Consumers able to make sustainable choices; waste-amount increase significantly reduced, recycling increased; 50 per cent food-waste reduction by 2030; public procurement (NOK 780B/yr) weighted ≥30 per cent on climate and environment from 1 January 2024 [§296][§300][§301]. Measurable commitment on food-waste and procurement thresholds.
• GBF Target 17 — Biosafety. By 2030, Norway has implemented biosafety measures and biotechnology management as set out in the CBD [§305]. Directional aspiration.
• GBF Target 18 — Harmful subsidies. Norway "aims to put in place incentives... which take biodiversity into account in a proportionate, effective, and equitable way" [§313]. SSB has begun developing statistics on environmentally harmful subsidies; no quantified phase-out target is stated, despite the 2022 OECD recommendation [§308]. Directional aspiration.
• GBF Target 19 — Finance. NICFI extended to 2035; mobilise new resources globally, particularly private; pursue climate–nature finance synergies [§322]. GEF contribution NOK 780M over 2022–2026 [§317]. Measurable commitment on the NICFI extension and GEF envelope — see Finance.
• GBF Target 20 — Capacity and technology. Continue support for global capacity-building and scientific cooperation [§327]. Directional aspiration.
• GBF Target 21 — Data and information. Data on the state of key ecosystems strengthened and available in nature accounting by 2030 [§345]. Fixed milestones: Nature Index update for all ecosystems in 2025; ecological-condition assessment for all terrestrial ecosystems by 2026; natural-forest map by end 2024 [§236][§337]. Measurable commitment on data milestones.
• GBF Target 22 — Participation and access to justice. Maintain participation, access to information and access to justice, including consultations under Chapter 4 of the Sami Act [§351]. Directional aspiration. See flex section on Sami rights.
• GBF Target 23 — Gender equality. Promote gender equality in implementation of the nature agreement [§355]. Directional aspiration (no disaggregated commitments or data surfaced in source).

Against KMGBF Goals A–D, Norway maps Goal A to Targets 1–8, Goal B to Targets 9–12, Goal C to Target 13, and Goal D to Targets 13, 15, 18, 19 and 20 [§357–§360].

Sources:

• §12, §31, §138, §154–§355 — 1 Summary; 2.5; 6.1.4–6.23.4 National targets
• §178 — 6.3.4 Target 3 national target
• §219, §233, §236, §261, §296, §300–§301, §308, §317, §322, §337 — sub-commitment detail
• §356–§360 — 6.24 Global goals A–D

4. Delivery Architecture

Norway's delivery architecture layers new NBSAP instruments onto durable statutory frameworks: the Nature Diversity Act (Sections 8–12 principles on knowledge, precaution, ecosystem approach, polluter-pays and environmentally sound techniques), the Planning and Building Act, the Marine Resources Act, the Svalbard Environmental Act, the Wildlife Act (with a proposed new Wildlife Resource Act out for consultation in June 2024), and the Salmonid and Inland Fishing Act [§191][§227][§268]. A new Sustainable Products and Value Chains Act entered into force on 1 July 2024, and a new Sustainability Reporting regime implementing the EEA Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) was adopted on 11 June 2024, covering ~50 Norwegian enterprises for 2024 rising to ~1,200 for 2026 [§281][§290].

Integrated management plans cycle continuously: ocean management plans for the Barents Sea–Lofoten, Norwegian Sea, and North Sea/Skagerrak are updated every four years (White Paper no. 21 (2023–2024)) and underpin Norway's Sustainable Ocean Plan under the Ocean Panel; water management plans for 2022–2027 include more than 12,000 measures, of which around 1,600 are physical restoration; the Nature Strategy for Wetlands and Plan for the Restoration of Wetlands (2021–2025) sit alongside [§95][§150][§160][§269].

Conservation instruments include 48 national parks (41 mainland, 7 Svalbard), 924 voluntarily protected forest areas since 2003, 17 dedicated marine protected areas (with the Lopphavet MPA, 2022, the largest), Østmarka National Park (2023, closest to an urban area), and world heritage sites (West Norwegian Fjords, Vega Archipelago) [§112][§167][§168][§254]. Candidate OECM instruments span key forestry biotopes (1,080 km² in 2022), national wild reindeer zones (~3.5 per cent of land area), national salmon rivers and fjords (52 and 29), and the Conservation Plan for Water Systems [§167][§170][§182]. The Follow-up Plan for Endangered Nature (2021–2035) — 23 species and 16 habitat types across 8 ministries — sits alongside 14 priority species and 8 selected habitat types designated under the Nature Diversity Act, and quality norms for wild salmon (2013) and wild reindeer (2020) [§182][§183].*

*Three statutory species/habitat tiers are used in Norway: 14 priority species under §§23–24 of the Nature Diversity Act; 8 selected habitat types; and 976 "national responsibility species" where ≥25% of the European population lives in Norway. "Quality norms" are binding quality standards for specified species.

Sectoral instruments include the annually negotiated Agricultural Agreement and the National Environment Programme 2023–2026 (national, RMP and SMIL grants); the Reindeer Agreement; the Traffic Light System for aquaculture across 13 production regions, with sea trout to be included from 2026; near-universal PEFC certification of Norwegian forestry; and the Roadmap for the Green Industrial Initiative [§233][§234][§235][§237]. A proposed ban on new peat extraction is to be put to consultation before 1 October 2025, and a working group will address peat-free cultivation media [§215][§221]. In response to the Supreme Court's Fosen ruling, amicable settlements were reached in December 2023 (Sør-Fosen/Fosen Vind) and March 2024 (Nord-Fosen/Roan Vind), with additional winter pasture to be made available by winter 2026/2027 [§142].

Sources:

• §112, §142, §150, §160, §167–§170, §173, §182–§183 — Conservation, species and Fosen
• §191, §215, §221, §227, §233–§237, §254, §268, §269, §281, §290 — Statutory architecture, sectoral and circular instruments

4a. The four new delivery tools

The NBSAP's own headlined innovation package introduces four interlocking tools intended to operationalise the 23 national commitments [§6].

Regular Reviews. Every four years the Government will provide the Storting with an overview of the state of biodiversity, target attainment, and measures implemented, through the Norwegian Biodiversity Action Plan [§7][§95][§269]. The Regular Reviews will form the basis of Norway's national reporting to the KMGBF, particularly Target 14 [§95]. Ocean management plans (four-yearly) and water management plans (six-yearly) continue on their own cycles and are summarised within the Regular Review [§95].

Nature accounting. The Norwegian Environment Agency and Statistics Norway are developing national accounts aligned with the UN System of Environmental-Economic Accounting – Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA EA). Biophysical accounts on ecosystem dispersion, integrity, and selected ecosystem services (crops, timber, pollination, environmental control, nature-based tourism) are expected by 2026, the same year Norway is expected to be required to report under the expanded EU European Environmental Economic Accounts regulation [§8][§96][§98]. A first-generation summary was produced in 2023, and a detailed base-map version was published in March 2024 for testing. Thematic accounts for wild reindeer and a pilot for the Lofoten coastal zone are under way; monetary accounts "will take time and require resources" [§96][§101].

Menus of Measures. Ecosystem-specific measure inventories are being built up. The Menu of Measures for forests has been published with 16 measures — including expanded continuous forestry methods, extended rotation, deadwood and large-deciduous-tree retention, accelerated targeted forest protection, and alien-species control — examined by the Norwegian Environment Agency and Norwegian Agriculture Agency [§110]. Menus for mountains and for cultural landscapes and open lowlands will follow [§102].

Sustainable spatial-management principles. Coordinated spatial planning, densification before new development zones, long-term boundaries between urban and continuous agricultural/natural/reindeer areas, and first-consideration of nature-based solutions in climate adaptation are embedded in the National Expectations for Regional and Local Planning 2023–2027 and planning guidelines for climate and energy [§144][§147][§152].

5. Monitoring and Accountability

Implementation oversight rests with the Ministry of Climate and Environment, with the Norwegian Environment Agency responsible for comprehensive coordination, policy harmonisation, and coordinating reporting on implemented measures [§103][§268][§339]. Sectoral responsibilities and the allocation of authority between levels of government "remain unchanged" under the Regular Reviews system [§95]. Local authorities manage approximately 83 per cent of mainland land and are identified as the principal spatial-planning authority [§11][§144][§361].

The accountability cycle is built around four instruments. Regular Reviews every four years provide the Storting with a consolidated overview of state, target attainment and measures (see flex section 4a) [§7][§95][§269]. KMGBF national reports are due in 2026 and 2029, with Norway's next HLPF SDG report due 2025 [§25][§29]. The environmental assessment system under the Planning and Building Act is being revised, following a 2021 evaluation that found assessment quality "varies depending on the theme and action area" and that combined impacts "are rarely carried out" [§271]. The Instructions for Official Studies and Ministry of Finance Circular R-109 frame biodiversity impacts in socioeconomic analyses; a new environmental-economy network for government agencies was established in 2024 [§272].

Indicator work is consolidating: in spring 2024 the Norwegian Environment Agency was tasked with a cross-cutting indicator assignment over 2024–2025 to ensure coverage across responsibility areas and alignment with nature accounts [§341]. The Nature Index will be updated for all ecosystems in 2025, and the ecological-condition assessment system will extend to wetlands, open lowlands and semi-natural land so that all terrestrial ecosystems are assessed by 2026 [§337]. Environmental data management follows FAIR and open-data principles, complemented by CARE principles for Indigenous Peoples' data [§339][§342]. For protected-area management, the Naturoppdrag digital solution (launched spring 2023) integrates conservation targets and, in time, management plans; in just under 30 per cent of land-based protected areas, conservation values were assessed as endangered in 2017 [§168][§173].

The NBSAP acknowledges documented weaknesses in the current mainstreaming regime — EVAPLAN (2018), the Nature Risk Commission (NOU 2024:2), and a 2024 Menon/Eco-fact review found that biodiversity is not adequately safeguarded in local planning and that cumulative land-use impacts are often not captured [§271][§275].

Sources:

• §7, §11, §25, §29, §95, §103 — Oversight, cycle, KMGBF and SDG reporting
• §144, §168, §173, §268, §269, §271, §272, §275, §337, §339, §341, §342, §361 — Governance, assessments, indicators, data
• §236 — Natural-forest map (end-2024)

6. Finance and Resource Mobilisation

The NBSAP explicitly states that there is no comprehensive overview of national-budget grants for the conservation and sustainable use of nature [§315]. Within the Ministry of Climate and Environment's budget, an average of NOK 1.2 billion per year (fixed rate) was earmarked for biodiversity-related measures over 2013–2024, excluding research, knowledge production, monitoring and national-level nature management [§315]. Implementation is to occur "within prevailing budgets", with economic consequences of new measures reviewed in the annual budget cycle [§361].

International biodiversity finance is dominated by Norway's International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI), extended to 2035, allocated NOK 4.1 billion in 2024 (~8 per cent of official development aid and ~75 per cent of Norwegian nature aid in 2022) [§81][§315]. NICFI is identified as the principal vehicle for KMGBF Target 19 sub-targets (a), (c), (d), (e), and also (b), (f), (g). It supports tropical-forest partnerships (Brazil, Peru, Colombia, Indonesia), the Nature Crime Alliance (launched August 2023, Norwegian-initiated and secretariat-financed), the NICFI satellite data programme, and enhancement of voluntary carbon markets for reduced deforestation [§75][§81][§319].

Multilateral contributions include the Global Environment Facility (GEF-8) at NOK 780 million for 2022–2025, with biodiversity the largest GEF thematic area and at least 36 per cent set aside for biodiversity [§317][§324]. Norway contributes to Horizon Europe (EUR 95.5 billion overall; 35 per cent for climate; 10 per cent targeted for biodiversity R&I in 2025–2027) [§324]. EEA and Norway Grants allocate EUR 418 million to the green pillar (of EUR 2.8 billion total) across 15 European countries, with approximately EUR 90 million earmarked for conservation and sustainable use of nature and biodiversity [§319]. Norway supports UNDP BIOFIN, the Blue Action Fund, the World Bank PROBLUE trust fund, the Plant Treaty benefit-sharing fund (0.1 per cent of Norwegian seed revenue annually since 2009), the Crop Trust, and IUCN [§261][§317][§318].

Domestic fiscal instruments. Approximately 85 per cent of greenhouse-gas emissions are priced through cross-sectoral climate taxes and the EU ETS; a differentiated environmental tax applies to pesticides [§295][§309]. Public procurement totals approximately NOK 780 billion per year; from 1 January 2024, climate and environmental considerations must be assigned a minimum 30 per cent weighting in procurements (or equivalent requirement specifications), with justification required where neither is applied [§296]. Positive sectoral instruments include approximately NOK 100 million per year for pollinator and biodiversity biotopes outside the Agricultural Agreement, a 9 per cent increase in targeted climate/environment allocations in the 2024 agricultural settlement, and dedicated Ministry of Climate and Environment grant schemes for endangered species and biotopes [§182][§234][§246].

Harmful subsidies (Target 18). Norway does not maintain statistics on subsidies harmful to biodiversity; Statistics Norway has begun development of such statistics [§308]. The 2022 OECD Environmental Performance Review recommended systematic screening of subsidies (including tax provisions), a plan to gradually phase out fossil-fuel consumption support and other environmentally harmful subsidies, and quantified time-bound targets; no such quantified national phase-out target is stated in the NBSAP [§308]. A NINA mapping of the 2020 national budget found that "relatively few of the reviewed grant schemes have major direct negative impacts on biodiversity", while cumulative small impacts may be significant [§308].

Private and innovative finance. The EU Green Bond Standard Regulation, in effect in the EU from 21 December 2024, is assessed as EEA-relevant but not yet incorporated [§316]. The NBSAP notes globally that financial resources available for climate initiatives significantly exceed those for biodiversity [§315].

Sources:

• §75, §81, §92, §182, §234, §246, §261, §295, §296, §308, §309, §315–§319, §322, §324, §361

6a. Sami rights and the Fosen precedent

Sami rights are woven through Targets 1, 3, 9, 13, 22, grounded in Section 108 of the Norwegian Constitution and Article 27 of the ICCPR [§174][§351]. The Sami Parliament adopted three plenary resolutions in 2023–2024 that informed NBSAP input: Forventninger til nasjonal implementering av Naturavtalen; Vaarjelidh – Bevaring av naturmangfold; and Samisk urfolkskunnskap i areal- og miljøforvaltningen [§33]. The Ministry of Climate and Environment consulted the Sami Parliament at administrative and political levels, and entered into dialogue with the Sami Reindeer Herders' Association of Norway [§33].

Under Section 8-2 of the Nature Diversity Act, authorities must place emphasis on knowledge from generations of use of and interaction with nature, including Sami use [§339]. Norway applies CARE principles (Collective benefit, Authority to control, Responsibility, Ethics) to Indigenous Peoples' data alongside FAIR principles, including in its GBIF participation [§339][§342]. In protected-area processes, consultations are always offered to the Sami Parliament or other representatives of Sami interests when these are affected; in most older and all new protected areas with Sami use, "the natural basis for Sami use" forms part of the purpose of protection [§168][§174]. The Ministry will draw up guidelines for weighting Sami cultural practice in matters under Chapter V of the Nature Diversity Act, with a consultation round offered to the Sami Parliament and the Sami Reindeer Herders' Association [§174][§176]. In local spatial planning, affected Sami stakeholders must be consulted where reindeer husbandry areas are affected [§144].

The Fosen case is the concrete driver. The Supreme Court's 2021 ruling held that the Fosen Vind and Roan Vind wind power licences violated Article 27 ICCPR. Amicable settlements followed in December 2023 (Sør-Fosen/Fosen Vind) and March 2024 (Nord-Fosen/Roan Vind), with additional winter pasture to be made available by winter 2026/2027 [§142]. A 2023 package of 24 measures for reindeer husbandry and energy underpins the follow-up [§143]. Internationally, NICFI channels an increased proportion of funding directly to Indigenous Peoples and civil society organisations, strengthens land rights, and supports protection of environmental defenders in tropical forest countries [§319].

7. GBF Target Coverage

GBF Target 1 — Spatial planning — Addressed. The Planning and Building Act, with the National Expectations for Regional and Local Planning 2023–2027, frames long-term spatial boundaries, densification-first development, and consideration of areas of especially high ecological integrity; "area neutrality" is defined as physical loss of natural land compensated through restoration. The Government will examine amendments to the Planning and Building Act to strengthen biodiversity considerations. EVAPLAN (2018) and the Nature Risk Commission (NOU 2024:2) explicitly acknowledge documented weaknesses; energy and grid projects accounted for 55–60 per cent of untouched-nature loss over the past five years.

GBF Target 2 — Ecosystem restoration — Addressed. Flagship references are the Hjerkinn firing range restoration (5.2 km² returned, 12.2 km² of high-quality wild-reindeer summer habitat gain, ~54,500 tonnes carbon storage; 2005–2020) and the Svea and Lunckefjell mine restoration on Svalbard (~2 million m³ moved, 42,000 m² demolished, ~30 km of road restored, NOK 900M below budget). The new 2024 nature-restoration grant scheme, SMIL, Selected Cultural Landscapes, NVE flood/landslide grants, and aquatic-environment grants fund restoration. A working group will phase out peat in cultivation media and soil improvement, more quickly in the private market than in the landscape industry. See Strategic Goals (Target 2 measurable documentation milestone).

GBF Target 3 — Protected areas — Addressed. 30 per cent terrestrial target by 2030 (25.7 per cent current; ~2pp from ongoing processes; 4.5pp expected from OECMs); marine target deferred pending OECM assessment, with 4.2 per cent of sea areas under Norwegian jurisdiction currently protected and 4.5 per cent (6,503 km²) in mainland territorial waters under the Nature Diversity Act. Candidate OECM instruments include key forestry biotopes, national wild reindeer zones, national salmon rivers/fjords, and Oslo-region protected areas. The Lopphavet MPA (2022) is Norway's largest; Østmarka National Park (2023) is the closest to an Norwegian urban area. Management strengthened through the Naturoppdrag digital platform; OECM adjustments "will not entail new restrictions for existing energy plants". See Strategic Goals.

GBF Target 4 — Species recovery — Addressed. Delivered mainly through the Follow-up Plan for Endangered Nature (23 species, 16 habitat types, 8 ministries, to 2035, directorate group chaired by the Norwegian Environment Agency), 14 priority species and 8 selected habitat types under the Nature Diversity Act, and quality norms for wild salmon (2013) and wild reindeer (2020). Salmon and sea trout fishing was suspended in 33 rivers from June 2024, extended in July to Eastern Finnmark. A national seed bank at the Natural History Museum in Oslo will include at least 75 per cent of threatened plant species, with at least 20 per cent available for re-establishment. An action plan for seabirds is being drawn up. White Paper no. 18 (2023–2024) on wild reindeer announces action plans for all 24 wild reindeer areas.

GBF Target 5 — Sustainable harvest — Addressed. Ecosystem-based fisheries management under the Marine Resources Act, with annual quotas from ICES advice and MSY consistent with the UNFSA; area-based fisheries measures cover 44 per cent of the Norwegian Economic Zone, including the ban on bottom fishing below 800 metres and protection of coral reefs, sponges and sea-pen deposits. Large commercial stocks are generally in good condition, with Norwegian spring-spawning herring expected below the precautionary level in 2024; coastal cod, eel and common redfish are in poor condition. The 2024 salmon suspension crosses with Target 4.

GBF Target 6 — Invasive alien species — Mentioned. Addressed through the Regulations on Alien Organisms (in force since 1 January 2016), the Action Plan Combating Harmful Alien Organisms 2020–2025 (to be updated), species-specific action plans (mink, beach rose, Pacific oysters, wild boar, pink salmon, Gyrodactylus salaris), a separate Svalbard action plan, and measures 7 and 15 of the forest Menu of Measures. A dedicated national IAS strategy section was not identified in the source.

GBF Target 7 — Pollution — Addressed. Framework instruments include the Pollution Act, Product Control Act, and the Norwegian List of Priority Substances. The Action Plan for Sustainable Use of Plant Protection Products 2021–2025, revised Fertiliser Regulations (entry into force targeted 1 January 2025), the Integrated Action Plan for a Clean and Rich Oslo Fjord (63 measures, 19 knowledge items; Oslo Fjord Council established 2021), new aquaculture pollution regulations (February 2024), REACH restriction on intentionally added microplastics, and a producer-responsibility scheme for single-use plastics and fishing gear are the main delivery vehicles. Norway is a party to LRTAP, Stockholm, Minamata and Rotterdam Conventions, and is working toward a global legally binding plastic instrument.

GBF Target 8 — Climate and biodiversity — Addressed. The NBSAP frames climate–biodiversity as interconnected with explicit trade-off acknowledgement. Quantified sub-commitments: 30 per cent energy-intensity improvement 2015→2030 and 10 TWh building-stock power reduction by 2030. Nature-based solutions instruments derive from Norway's UNEA5 (2022) presidency definition, with planning guidelines requiring NbS to be considered first. Biofuel policy is reviewed at fixed checkpoints starting with the 2025 budget.

GBF Target 9 — Wild species use — Mentioned. Addressed primarily through the Marine Resources Act (fisheries) and the Reindeer Agreement (direct grants conditional on reindeer figures below maxima). Sami reindeer husbandry is framed as traditional, family-based livelihood. Broader wild-species trade and hunting/trapping provisions are not separately surfaced.

GBF Target 10 — Primary industries — Addressed. Soil-conservation target of reallocation below 2,000 decares/year by 2030; annual Agricultural Agreement, National Environment Programme 2023–2026 (national grants, RMP, SMIL); National Strategy for Organic Agriculture 2018–2030 (to be revised in 2024); 16-measure Menu of Measures for forests (see Action Portfolio); near-universal PEFC certification; natural-forest map by end 2024; Traffic Light System across 13 aquaculture production regions (sea trout from 2026); cod-farming ban in wild cod spawning areas clarified winter 2024. A working group concluded the salmon-lice threshold is inconsistent with the wild salmon quality norm. A public commission on the future food system is to be established.

GBF Target 11 — Ecosystem services / NbS — Addressed. Delivered through nature accounting (biophysical accounts on crops, timber, pollination, environmental control, nature-based tourism by 2026); the National Pollinator Strategy (2018) and cross-sectoral Action Plan for Wild Pollinating Insects (2021–2028) (~NOK 100M/yr outside the Agricultural Agreement); extension of NICFI to 2035; a peat-free cultivation-media working group; and new national targets for water and health (launched 16 February 2024). Planning guidelines require NbS to be considered first.

GBF Target 12 — Urban biodiversity — Mentioned. Addressed indirectly through spatial-planning principles (compact urban areas with access to green structures; densification before new development zones) and through local-authority circular-economy policy advisory roles. Urban-specific quantitative targets or access-to-nature metrics were not identified.

GBF Target 13 — Genetic resources / ABS — Addressed. Operated through the CBD, the Plant Treaty, and the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources. Norway contributes 0.1 per cent of Norwegian seed revenue annually to the Plant Treaty benefit-sharing fund (since 2009) — the first voluntary user-based benefit-sharing scheme. The Svalbard Global Seed Vault stores more than 1.2 million samples from over 100 gene banks. Norway participates in the KMGBF multilateral mechanism for DSI benefit-sharing.

GBF Target 14 — Mainstreaming — Addressed. Sections 7–12 of the Nature Diversity Act guide all exercise of public authority; environmental assessments under the Planning and Building Act apply to plans and measures; Circular R-109 frames biodiversity in socioeconomic analyses; ten principles for marine area use published in the Ocean Industry Plan; four-yearly ocean-management-plan updates. Documented weaknesses acknowledged via EVAPLAN (2018) and NOU 2024:2.

GBF Target 15 — Business disclosure — Mentioned. Covered through CSRD implementation (~50 enterprises for 2024, rising to ~1,200 for 2026) and ongoing evaluation of extending the Transparency Act to environment in light of the EU CSDDD. No specific biodiversity-disclosure commitments beyond CSRD were identified in the source.

GBF Target 16 — Sustainable consumption — Addressed. 50 per cent food-waste reduction by 2030 (five-ministry, twelve-trade-organisation agreement; Food Waste Committee recommendations January 2024); 30 per cent minimum climate/environment weighting in public procurement (NOK 780B/yr) from 1 January 2024; follow-up on the Action Plan for a Circular Economy (2024–2025); Sustainable Products and Value Chains Act (1 July 2024); Second-Hand Trade Act amendment (1 July 2024); Green Deal grant scheme.

GBF Target 17 — Biosafety — Mentioned. Framed primarily through the Gene Technology Act (enforced by the Norwegian Environment Agency and the Norwegian Food Safety Authority) and consideration of NOU 2023: 18 Gene Technology in a sustainable future. The aquaculture Traffic Light System and the winter-2024 cod-farming ban address genetic-integrity risks to wild stocks rather than biotechnology biosafety in the narrower Target 17 sense.

GBF Target 18 — Harmful subsidies — Mentioned. Statistics Norway has begun development of statistics on environmentally harmful subsidies. Two prior mappings (2008; NINA on the 2020 national budget) form the evidence base. No quantified national phase-out target is stated, despite the 2022 OECD recommendation.

GBF Target 19 — Finance — Addressed. See Finance. Headline commitments: NICFI extended to 2035 (NOK 4.1B in 2024), GEF NOK 780M (2022–2026), ~EUR 90M of EEA Grants for biodiversity, 0.1 per cent of Norwegian seed revenue annually to the Plant Treaty fund, and Norway's ODI ranking as top of 28 assessed countries for nature protection and restoration at >200 per cent of proportionate share.

GBF Target 20 — Capacity and technology — Addressed. Delivered through NICFI's support for national forest monitoring systems (UNREDD, FAO) and its free satellite-data programme (new phase scheduled); participation in Copernicus and the Group on Earth Observation; the Nordic Council of Ministers' 2021–2024 programme on nature-based solutions (chaired by the Norwegian Environment Agency); EEA Grants capacity-building; Plant Treaty benefit-sharing projects in developing countries; and domestic AI/remote-sensing monitoring (palsa mires, small rodents).

GBF Target 21 — Data and information — Addressed. Milestones: Nature Index update for all ecosystems in 2025; ecological-condition assessment for all terrestrial ecosystems by 2026; publicly available natural-forest map by end 2024. ANO and nesting-bird monitoring programmes expand to wetlands, open lowlands and semi-natural land from 2025. The Norwegian Environment Agency leads the KMGBF indicator work. Data are managed under FAIR and CARE principles; Skogportalen i Kilden and Miljøstatus are the main public channels.

GBF Target 22 — Participation and access to justice — Addressed. See flex section 6a. Implementation rests on Section 108 of the Constitution, Article 27 ICCPR, Chapter 4 of the Sami Act, and consultations offered in all protection processes affecting Sami interests. The Ministry will draw up guidelines on Sami cultural practice in matters under Chapter V of the Nature Diversity Act, with a consultation round offered to the Sami Parliament and the Sami Reindeer Herders' Association. NICFI allocates increased direct funding to Indigenous Peoples and civil-society organisations internationally.

GBF Target 23 — Gender equality — Mentioned. The national commitment promotes gender equality in implementation of the nature agreement [§355]. No gender-disaggregated data, gender-responsive provisions, or operational sub-commitments were identified in the source material.