National Park System, Norway

Norway passed the ‘Nature Protection Act’ in 1954 to create an institutional environment for the establishment of protected areas within the country. The Nature Protection Government Advisory Committee proposed establishing a draft system plan for 16 national parks. The first two national parks were established in 1962 and 1963. By 1982, Norway had set up 16 national parks. In 1986, the Advisory Committee proposed a second park system. The government approved it in April 1993 and launched the second group of national parks. Currently, 36 national parks have been established, of which 29 are in Norway, and 7 are on Svalbard in the Arctic Ocean. Most national parks allow hiking, skiing and camping activities. Many have overnight accommodation facilities. In addition to national parks, Norway also has landscape reserves, nature reserves, natural monuments and other smaller protected areas.