Norway has one of the most decentralized governance systems for land-use planning in Europe, with 357 municipalities serving as the primary land-use authorities.
Coordination mechanisms are weak, and effective instruments for ensuring necessary oversight and coherence are largely absent.
A newly published mapping conducted by the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation NRK, researcher Zander Venter (NINA), and the Arena for Journalism in Europe shows that Norway ranks at the top in per capita land conversion in Europe.
So what can we do?
The webinar presents new research on the drivers of land use conversion in Norway.
We will also learn from England, having introduced a national, governance system for biodiversity net gain (BNG) under the Town and Country Planning Act in 2024.
BNG seeks to ensure that natural area conversion delivers an overall positive impact (“net gain”) on biodiversity and may therefore serve as a pathway to enhancing natural habitats.
In England, developers are required to deliver a minimum of 10% biodiversity net gain when undertaking development projects, thereby ensuring more – or better quality – natural areas after development than before.
Welcome to an interesting morning webinar!
