FORESTS IN NORWAY, FORESTS IN EUROPE
The list of national parks of Norway covers 33 national parks on the Norwegian mainland (more than 22 000 km2), and 7 on Svalbard.
In addition to national parks, the Norwegian government has designated larger areas for protection:
• 153 landscapes parks covering 14 071 km²;
• 1,701 nature reserves covering 3 418 km²;
• 102 natural memorials,
• 98 smaller protected areas.
This accounts for 12.1 % of Norway's mainland area. The Norwegian government aims to increase this area over time to at least 15 %.
The idea of creating national parks is fairly old. This issue was discussed from early ’20 of previous century. But first NP (Rondane) has only about 50 years. Let’s have a look at some selected NP in Norway.
Rondane National Park is the oldest national park in Norway, established 1962. The park contains ten peaks above 2,000 metres), with the highest being Rondslottet at an altitude of 2,178 m. The park is an important habitat for herds of wild reindeer. The park was extended in 2003, and now covers an area of 963 km2.
Jotunheimen (“Home of the Giants”) National Park is a national park in Norway, recognized as one of the country's premier hiking and fishing regions. The national park covers 1,151 km² and is part of the larger area Jotunheimen. More than 250 peaks rise above 1,900 metres, including Northern Europe's two highest peaks: Galdhøpiggen at 2,469 metres and Glittertind at 2,465 metres. The National Park covers most of the mountainous region of Jotunheimen. Glaciers have carved the hard gabbro rock massifs of the Jotunheimen, leaving numerous valleys and the many peaks. Wildlife includes the reindeer, elk, deer, wolverines and lynx. Most lakes and rivers hold trout.
Hardangervidda National Park, at 3,422 square kilometres, is Norway's largest national park. Designated as a national park in 1981, today it serves as a popular tourist destination for activities such as hiking, climbing, fishing, and cross-country skiing. The Bergensbanen railway line and the main Highway 7 cross the plateau. Several hundred nomadic Stone Age settlements have been found in the area. It has the southernmost stock of several arctic animals and plants. Its wild reindeer herds are among the largest in the world.
Jostedalsbreen National Park is a national park in Norway that encompasses the largest glacier on the European mainland, Jostedalsbreen. The park was established 1991, and then in 1998, it was enlarged to the northwest. The park now covers 1,310 square kilometres, with the glaciers covering about 800 square kilometres of the park. There is the Famous Bremuseum (Ice Museum) within Park.
Forlandet National Park lies on the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard. The park was created 1973 and covers the entire island of Prins Karls Forland and well as the sea around it. The Norwegian national park has an area of 616 km² and a marine area of 4031 km². This area is recognized for the world's most northerly range of Stone Seals and also the world's most northerly population of Common Guillemot. In the region there are numerous archaeological remains from Norwegian and Russian hunters and whalers.
At Svalbard (Spitsbergen), the Forlandet NP together with six others NP covers more than 60 percent of island area.
