Kommunale økokontoer og arealbanker : en mulighetsstudie

Globally, land loss and degradation is the main threat biodiversity is facing today. Also in Norway, a piece-by-piece dismantling of nature areas through development projects, is taking place. The consequences include, inter alia, fragmentation of landscapes and ecosystems, loss of biodiversity and sum effects, all of which we know far too little about. In Norway to date, ecological compensation by law, is only required for irreversible damage to valuable nature, such as deterioration of protected areas. Ecological compensation for all types and values of nature, would contribute to restrict uninhibited destruction of nature areas and assist in reaching both national and international goals we have set. This master's thesis explores the interest around and possibility of implementing eco-accounts and/or area-banks in the municipal sector in Norway. The municipalities manage the majority of Norway's areas and largely decide where and what will be built. It is mainly on this level, that the ongoing piece-by-piece development of nature areas, is happening. The studied tools have no-netloss of biodiversity as a target. This is achieved by imposing ecological compensation on developers, in line with the mitigation hierarchy, for development projects resulting in irreversible damage and losses of nature. Briefly, the instruments put ecological compensation into action, by mapping compensation areas and implementing compensation measures either preventively (ecoaccount) or after (area-bank) development projects having been approved