Norway
NORWAY
1
Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)
IPM - New York 23 ? 27 February 2009
Land management policy
Key points
? Sustainable land management and equitable access to
land are key issues for sustainable development and
poverty reduction.
? Soil protection is important both locally and globally
to ensure food security and should be given high
priority.
? Land degradation must be fought locally and globally
by reducing loss of soil resources through protection
of productive areas.
? Global and national policies must protect productive agricultural areas and ensure
local adaptations through a participatory process.
There are three main reasons for the increased global
emphasis on soil protection:
First: Soil is a scarce and vulnerable resource;
Second: We witness a rapid loss of areas, which cannot be
reproduced. This is a critical and non-sustainable
development. Climate change adds to this challenge and
Norway shares the view of the Group 77 and China that land
use planning and sustainable land management are critical
components of strategies to adapt to the adverse impacts of
climate change.
Third: The rapid global population growth increases the
pressure on productive areas and the future global food
production is uncertain. The most likely scenarios indicate
that there is a need for use of both high and low productive
areas to ensure food security.
NORWAY
2
Land and soil resources are equally important issues in
Norway. In 2004, a national target was formulated as follows:
?We intend to reduce the yearly loss of soil resources by 50
per cent before 2010.? The Government has delivered
propositions to the Norwegian parliament with a view to
strengthen the protection of soil resources. Local
politicians are involved. Norway encourages global and
national decision-makers to adopt policies to protect
productive agricultural areas and ensure participatory
process at all levels. Citizens, through local councils,
have the right to participate in democratic decisions that
concern them.
1
Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)
IPM - New York 23 ? 27 February 2009
Land management policy
Key points
? Sustainable land management and equitable access to
land are key issues for sustainable development and
poverty reduction.
? Soil protection is important both locally and globally
to ensure food security and should be given high
priority.
? Land degradation must be fought locally and globally
by reducing loss of soil resources through protection
of productive areas.
? Global and national policies must protect productive agricultural areas and ensure
local adaptations through a participatory process.
There are three main reasons for the increased global
emphasis on soil protection:
First: Soil is a scarce and vulnerable resource;
Second: We witness a rapid loss of areas, which cannot be
reproduced. This is a critical and non-sustainable
development. Climate change adds to this challenge and
Norway shares the view of the Group 77 and China that land
use planning and sustainable land management are critical
components of strategies to adapt to the adverse impacts of
climate change.
Third: The rapid global population growth increases the
pressure on productive areas and the future global food
production is uncertain. The most likely scenarios indicate
that there is a need for use of both high and low productive
areas to ensure food security.
NORWAY
2
Land and soil resources are equally important issues in
Norway. In 2004, a national target was formulated as follows:
?We intend to reduce the yearly loss of soil resources by 50
per cent before 2010.? The Government has delivered
propositions to the Norwegian parliament with a view to
strengthen the protection of soil resources. Local
politicians are involved. Norway encourages global and
national decision-makers to adopt policies to protect
productive agricultural areas and ensure participatory
process at all levels. Citizens, through local councils,
have the right to participate in democratic decisions that
concern them.
Stakeholders