Press release

Date: 06.10.04

Minister of Environment Knut Arild Hareide:

Environmental conservation budget rises by 3.5%

The Government has submitted a budget for the Ministry of Environment proposing an increase of 3.5% compared with the 2004 budget. The main target areas are outdoor recreation, cultural heritage and forest conservation. The total budget for conservation of the environment is over NKr 2.7 billion.

"Outdoor recreation is an amenity which should be accessible to all. It is an important element in this coalition government's environmental policy. A safe environment and protected natural areas and cultural heritage sites form the foundation for public well-being in a broad sense", says environment minister Knut Arild Hareide.

The proposal is to raise allocations for outdoor recreation by almost 14 million kroner to NKr 97.2 million. Among other things the funds will be used to increase public access to outdoor areas with special emphasis on green areas in cities and the coastal zone. The increase should be directed specifically towards activities that give children and young people positive experiences of the natural environment and good habits with regard to environment and health. Initiatives should also take account of children and young people who are inactive, handicapped or of different cultural background. Additionally, 2005 is "Outdoor Recreation Year", and the Government is keen to support the work of outdoor organizations in making the year a success.

The Government aims to increase efforts to preserve cultural heritage sites through active use and as a basis for experiences. An increased allocation of NKr 3.5 million to 24.9 million is proposed, for the conservation and protection of buildings and sites worthy of preservation. It is proposed to set aside an additional five million NKr for repairing, maintaining and fireproofing stave churches and valuable religious art in these churches.

In addition, the Government will allocate six million more for revitalizing cultural heritage sites in coastal areas. Increased allocations are also proposed for World Heritage sites, for preservation of nationally important ruins, and to cover expenses of archaeological work in connection with smaller private projects.

A proactive climate policy and intensified efforts to control hazardous chemicals are important in order to reduce pollution, and therefore to future wealth creation and quality of life. The Government pursues an aggressive climate policy and sees it as a priority to put in place a climate regime after 2012 that is more ambitious and comprehensive than the Kyoto protocol. A quota system for greenhouse gases is to be in place from 2005.

The Government will step up its measures to reduce the environmental impact of hazardous chemicals. We propose to increase the allocation for cleaning up polluted ground, water and sediments by 14 million. The allocation will ensure that the targets for polluted ground can be met during 2005. This involves finishing clean-up operations on about 100 priority sites and investigations of about 500 others. An increase of one million NKr is also proposed for mapping environmental toxins. The Government further proposes an increased allocation of three million NKr for work on an integrated management plan for Lofoten and the Barents sea and for the follow up of the EU Water Framework Directive. Work on environment-friendly shipping will also be a priority.

NKr 95 million will be used on preserving wild salmon stocks. The total includes an increase of 8.5 million kroner primarily for measures to combat the salmon parasite Gyrodactylus salaris, but also on a monitoring and evaluation programme for nationalsalmon river systems and fjords.

The Government plans to intensify its work with new woodland and forest conservation projects now that the previous plan for protecting coniferous forests has been completed. The proposal is 57.2 million kroner for new conservation projects, a rise of 39.2 million kroner from 2004. In combination with a reserve appropriation of 47.7 million kroner, this gives us a framework of 105 million for new woodland and forest conservation projects. Voluntary protection schemes and use of state owned forested areas are priorities.

Increased appropriations in connection with the national parks plan will make it possible to keep up the pace of conservation work. This in turn presents an opportunity to protect 10 new areas in 2005. Increased allocations are also proposed for management of protected areas.

The Government will increase its efforts in the polar regions. The research station Troll in the Antarctic will be upgraded to a year-round base from 2005. An environmental fund for Svalbard will be set up using income from fees, environmental compensation and fines. The fund will finance environmental projects on Svalbard; income is expected to be 5.4 million kroner in 2005.

It is national environmental policy to make a contribution to sustainable development in line with the action plan for National Agenda 21 set out by the Government in 2004. The Government is especially determined that Norway follow-up its obligations in accordance with the decisions of the Johannesburg world sustainability summit in 2002 and work carried out during the Norwegian chairmanship of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development in 2003-2004. Sound environmental management is crucial to the quality of life and wealth creation in both the industrialized and developing worlds.

For Norway it is an essential task to ensure that environmentally sustainable development is incorporated in the poverty reduce strategies of the developing countries.

Nearly 20 million kroner are proposed for the Government's action plan for what is known as "universal design". The plan is to give everyone greater access to transport, buildings and outdoor areas, information and other important aspects of society. Most of the projects will be funded through the budgets of the relevant ministries.

The Government also proposes to establish a tax incentive for the introduction of sulphur-free petrol and automotive diesel in Norway. The measure will help improve air quality while encouraging the use of new and more environment-friendly technology. It is proposed that the rate for the present sulphur-containing petrol be increased by 2 øre/litre and that the rate for sulphur-free petrol be 4øre/litre lower than for the sulphur-containing equivalent. It is also proposed that the rate for the present sulphur-containing automotive diesel be increased by 3 øre/litre and that that the rate for sulphur-free automotive diesel be 5 øre/litre lower than for the sulphur-containing equivalent.

With a view to stimulating new environment-friendly energy production, the Government proposes various measures resulting in a 95 million kroner increase in the Energy Fund managed by Enova. A substantial increase -- 7.6 million kroner -- is also proposed in the allocation to the Investment fund for climate change abatement measures in the Baltic Sea Region.

Contact:
Director General Jon Rørvik, +47 22 24 57 10
Deputy Director General Arne Ness, +47 22 24 57 33