Environmental impact management and planning: - Norway

Spatial data – a basis for nature management in sensitive andprotected areas: the Norwegian experienceDuring the reciprocal visits, presentations were made of two of the Directorate for Nature Management’s spatialdata systems. Spatial data is a basis for the management of resources at local, provincial and national levels andprovides important and necessary input to the planning processes. Data on state-of-the-art trends is also basic inestablishing and revising environmental policy.The nature database is an expert data system designed for nature management. It contains geographic informationon a wide range of topics, including protected areas, biodiversity (important habitats, migration routes and feedingareas), publicly owned recreation areas and important cultural landscapes. It is based on a central database withlocal map modules and is used in connection with ArcView as a GIS tool. Regional environmental authorities haveaccess to and update the base.The nature database is user-friendly with access to the Internet and has become a widely used tool.Areas without major infrastructure development in Norway (INON) is another database, showing land areas locatedone kilometre or more (in a straight line) from major infrastructure developments. The database is updated everyfive years, thus monitoring the state of wilderness-like areas in Norway. It also shows the sectors responsible for eachparticular loss of such areas. The main idea behind INON mapping is to strengthen the basis for decision-making bymunicipalities, regional administrations and state level management. Additionally, the mapping should contributeto increased knowledge about the land use situation, make responsible those productive sectors that carry out thedevelopments and produce the basis for environmental revision in the same productive sectors.17