Placepoint

Nature and cultural areas

Nature and cultural areas are areas with a natural environment worth conserving or with cultural and historical value. The term brings several different conservation categories together, from strict nature reserves to registered cultural heritage sites and cultural environments, and it is central to all land use planning and building cases.

Nature conservation follows naturmangfoldloven (the Nature Diversity Act) from 2009. The main conservation categories are national park, nature reserve, protected landscape area, biotope protection area and marine protected area. Each category has its own purpose and restrictions: a nature reserve has strict conservation requirements and a ban on intervention, while a protected landscape area allows continued use as long as the character of the landscape is not changed. In addition, priority species, selected habitat types and Ramsar sites for wetlands of international importance are registered. The conservation decisions are managed by Miljødirektoratet (the Norwegian Environment Agency) and published in Naturbase.

Cultural heritage protection follows kulturminneloven (the Cultural Heritage Act). The act gives automatic protection to fixed cultural heritage sites from before 1537, standing structures from 1537 to 1649 and Sami cultural heritage sites from 1917 or older. More recent cultural heritage sites can be protected by an individual decision from Riksantikvaren (the Directorate for Cultural Heritage), and whole cultural environments can be protected under kulturminneloven § 20. The registrations are held in Askeladden and in the public database Kulturminnesøk. In land use plans, hensynssoner (zones requiring special consideration) are set with accompanying provisions under plan- og bygningsloven § 11-8.

For a developer, this means that planning proposals and measures must be assessed against several acts in parallel. An impact assessment under the regulations to plan- og bygningsloven may be triggered, and finds during excavation require work to stop and the cultural heritage authority to be notified under kulturminneloven § 8. The cost picture can change considerably if an area turns out to hold automatically protected cultural heritage sites, and early mapping is often decisive for whether the project can be carried out.

In Placepoint, nature conservation and cultural heritage data is shown as map layers, including protected areas, habitat types and protected buildings, so that you see early on whether the property affects such interests. Report: Nature values and objections works through both the nature conservation track and the cultural heritage track in the same checklist.

How the dataset appears on the map

The dataset is part of the map layer Nature as Nature and cultural areas:

Nature and cultural areas in Placepoint

From Placepoint's glossary: Nature and cultural areas

More information: Lovdata: Naturmangfoldloven, Lovdata: Kulturminneloven, Miljødirektoratet: Naturbase, Riksantikvaren: Kulturminnesøk

English: Natural and cultural heritage areas.

Common questions we come across

What are nature and cultural areas?

Nature and cultural areas are areas with a valuable natural environment or cultural and historical importance. They are protected through naturmangfoldloven, kulturminneloven and land use plans.

Which types of nature and cultural areas matter to developers?

Nature conservation areas (national parks, nature reserves), cultural landscapes, Ramsar sites, habitat types and cultural environments worth conserving are among the most important categories for developers to know about.

What are the consequences of building near protected nature and cultural areas?

Development in or near such areas can require an impact assessment and mitigation measures. In the worst case, it can rule out development altogether. Early mapping is decisive.

Where do I find information about nature and cultural areas?

Information is available in Naturbase (Miljødirektoratet), Kulturminnesøk (Riksantikvaren) and municipal plans. Placepoint brings these map layers together so that you see everything in one interface.

Can I see nature and cultural areas in Placepoint?

Yes, Placepoint shows nature and cultural heritage data as map layers, including habitat types, protected areas and cultural heritage sites, so that you can quickly find out whether a property is affected by such considerations.