S Norway: Directorate for Nature Management (Wildlife Report No
Important Bird Areas in Europe – Norway ■ NORWAY TERJE LISLEVAND, ASBJØRN FOLVIK AND INGAR JOSTEIN ØIEN Øvre Pasvik Nature Reserve (IBA 001), the largest virgin forest in Norway. (PHOTO: INGAR JOSTEIN ØIEN) GENERAL INTRODUCTION 9,307 km2, equivalent to c.3% of the national land surface. This total does not include one offshore marine IBA in the Skagerrak Norway is situated in the north-western corner of Europe, between which is shared with Denmark, 61% of its area lying within the latitudes of 58°N and 71°N. It borders the North-east Atlantic Norwegian territory. This marine IBA does not feature further in Ocean, from the Skagerrak channel in the south to the Arctic Ocean this chapter; see Box 4 in the introductory chapter ‘Overview of in the north. The coastline, at 21,465 km, is very long, with many results’ for further discussion of marine IBAs identified in Europe, fjords and a vast number of islands, islets and skerries. Norway is and for further explanation of their treatment in this book. The very mountainous, covering an area of 323,759 km2, and is divided Arctic territories of Svalbard, Jan Mayen and Bjørnøya (Bear into 18 counties. In 1998, the human population numbered about Island) are also parts of Norwegian territory, but are covered by a 4,400,000 inhabitants, giving a density of about 13 persons/km2, the separate chapter within this inventory (see p. 533). lowest in continental Europe. The first pan-European IBA inventory (Grimmett and Jones A total of 52 Important Bird Areas (IBAs) are identified in 1989) identified 49 IBAs in mainland Norway, of which 11 no longer mainland Norway in this inventory (Table 1, Map 1), covering meet the current (revised) IBA criteria (they are listed in Table 1).
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