Search

Norway cooperates with other countries in Europe to coordinate forestry policies through FOREST EUROPE. This process has laid the basis for the definition of sustainable forest management which is now utilized in Europe and is developing different tools for implementation. Norway has been an active member of and contributor to FOREST EUROPE and held the chairmanship of the process between 2008 and 2012. This organization is involved in areas such as sustainable forest management, designing certification schemes, and developing guidelines for national forest programmes.

Norway's International Climate and Forest Initiative (NICFI) was established in 2008 in conjunction with an intention to allocate up to NKr 3 billion annually to efforts reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries (REDD+). NICFI has three objectives, which are: 1) to ensure that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is an effective tool for reducing emission; 2) to contribute to early actions for measurable emission reductions from deforestation and forest degradation; and 3) to promote the conservation of primary forests, due to their particular importance as carbon stores and for their biological diversity. The goals should be achieved while also promoting sustainable development and a reduction of poverty. So far, Norway has contributed NKr 19.5 billion through NICFI, with the majority of the funding so far going to Brazil through the Amazon Fund, allocated on the basis of the annual results Brazil obtains according to an agreed reference level. Other partner countries with whom NICFI cooperates on a results-based basis include Guyana, Indonesia, Liberia, Colombia and Peru. In addition, Norwegian REDD+ funding has helped establish and run programmes in the World Bank and the UN, including the multi-donor regional Central African Forest Initiative, supporting national strategies for reducing deforestation.

The long-term success of the sector can be attributed to historic fishing rights in some of the world's richest fishing grounds, i.e. North Sea, Barents Sea, polar regions, and Norway's coastal waters; and the more recent expansion and growth of the aquaculture sector, which surpasses traditional fishing in terms of value. But both sectors have not been without challenges as well. The fishing sector has historically been impacted by fleet overcapacity and lower stocks from over exploitation of some species resulting in lower quotas and higher conservation efforts while the aquaculture sector has aimed to manage the particular challenges in the industry which include environmental and health issues, through the establishment of a framework for sustainable development. During the review period, both sectors have profited from a lower Norwegian krone and higher prices, which has spurred this export-oriented sector.

The fishing sector can be divided into commercial fishing (i.e. wild catch) and aquaculture. The commercial fishing sector is dependent on yearly quota allocations that are in turn dependent on the stocks and conservation policies. Most of these stocks are shared with neighbouring countries. There are a number of fish species in Norway's wild catch sector, but the most significant in recent years are cod, herring and mackerel. (...)

Box 4.1 Fisheries and aquaculture institutions and authorities, 2018
(…)
The Institute of Marine Research Serves in an advisory capacity to the Ministry and performs key tasks in the investigation and monitoring of fish stocks and marine mammals, the marine and coastal environment and activities related to aquaculture and sea ranching www.imr.no/
(...)

Norway's policies for the fishing sector have stressed the importance of sustainability. The importance of environmental sustainability and sustainability of the fish stocks is imperative for long-term viability, profitability and value creation for the sector. The Government has been promoting the growth of the aquaculture sub-sector.

The Government has put particular emphasis on the aquaculture sector in recent years as it has experienced significant growth. Thus, there has been a priority placed on aquaculture management as demonstrated through a proposal to the Storting in March 2015 on measures concerning salmon and trout aquaculture. It includes a new system for regulating the growth of the salmon farming sector with a particular emphasis on environmental issues. (...) This proposal stresses that the environmental impact should be the most important criterion when deciding how the salmon farming industry can operate and its production levels. (...)

In its international work, Norway has actively engaged in the WTO negotiations to prohibit fisheries subsidies. Norway has also had a key role in the conclusion of work on the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing under the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO). The agreement entered into force on 5 June 2016 for Norway and the other signatories. In the FAO, Norway has also participated in the development of voluntary Global Guidelines for Catch Documentation Schemes as part of the work to prevent illegal fish from entering into markets and international trade. Norway also has an agreement with the European Union to implement certain provisions related to the issuing of catch certificates for imports into the European Union following the EU Regulation to prevent, deter and eliminate illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU). (...)

The Aquaculture Act was revised and amended in 2013. The chapter regarding reactions and sanctions for infringements was revised. Among several changes, a new article giving the supervisory authority legal foundation to confiscate profits derived from illegal actions was implemented. Additionally, the environmental chapter of the Act was strengthened. (...)

Norway has a long history of fisheries management based on sustainable harvesting and science. As such, the sector has traditionally been highly regulated through licences and quotas. As many of the areas where Norway conducts fishing, about 90%, involve other countries, it engages in a number of regional or international initiatives on fisheries management (see Section 4.1.3.7) in order to maintain stocks. Allocation of quotas commences with the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) where scientists give the basis for the quota recommendations. Thereafter, Norway embarks on its regional and international negotiations for quota allocations and then its domestic process, in consultation with The Institute of Marine Research and domestic stakeholders, resulting in the allocation of quotas.