Land neutrality has in recent years become an increasingly important topic in Norwegian urban and regional planning. Given the growing pressure on natural resources, it is crucial to find a balance between development and the protection of natural areas.
In collaboration with the Follo region, TOWARDS and CRED held a policy dialogue on land neutrality and ecological compensation, bringing together several experts to discuss challenges, solutions, and the legal framework surrounding these issues. The speakers that day were Jin Xue, Håvard Bergheim, Anders Gunnar Helle, and Mina Di Marino, all researchers from NMBU, as well as Ane Tingstad Grav and Hanna Utseth from Nordre Follo.
Here we gained insight into how Norway and other countries manage land use and ecological compensation.
What is land neutrality?
Land neutrality refers to a principle where the loss of natural and agricultural areas is minimized, so that new developments occur as much as possible on already developed or degraded land. This concept has emerged as an important strategy to ensure that human activity does not result in a net loss of natural areas. Jin Xue, professor of sustainable urban and regional planning at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences, explained how Norway has started applying this principle in its municipalities, but emphasized the many challenges that come with implementing it in practice.
According to Xue, strong political and economic interests make it difficult to adopt and enforce land neutrality. The need for housing developments, road projects, holiday homes, and commercial areas often conflicts with the desire to preserve nature and agriculture. Many Norwegian municipalities also lack the necessary expertise and overview of their own land resources, making it challenging to develop good, long-term land use plans.
Ecological compensation – an important part of the solution
Another key tool for counteracting the loss of nature is ecological compensation. This means that developers must compensate for interventions in nature by restoring or improving other natural areas. Håvard Bergheim, PhD candidate at the Department of Property and Law, addressed the legal challenges of this practice. He noted that Norwegian legislation lacks clear guidelines for when and how compensation should be carried out. Often, it is unclear how to secure land for such purposes or how to legally require private actors to restore or protect natural areas.
Bergheim also highlighted Germany as an example of a country that has integrated ecological compensation into its legislation since 1976. There, a system of public “habitat banks” ensures land for compensation purposes, which could serve as a model for Norway.
Nature restoration and nature positivity
Anders Gunnar Helle, PhD candidate at the Section for Ecology and Nature Management, discussed ecological restoration and how it can help safeguard biodiversity. Nature restoration involves returning a damaged or degraded ecosystem to a healthy state. The goal of such projects is often to achieve “nature positivity,” meaning that one not only compensates for lost nature but actually improves it.
Helle noted that nature restoration can be a long-term process, with some ecosystems taking several hundred years to regenerate. This means that the time factor must be considered when planning land-neutral projects and compensation measures.
Nature-based solutions
Mina Di Marino, associate professor at the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, presented nature-based solutions (NBS) as another important strategy for managing land neutrality. Nature-based solutions are measures that mimic natural processes to address environmental challenges. These include, for example, blue-green infrastructure to prevent flooding and maintain water quality, or tree planting for carbon sequestration.
Despite the benefits of such solutions, Di Marino emphasized that there are still many obstacles to implementing them in Norwegian planning. A key challenge is the lack of precise guidelines, weak environmental legislation, and fragmented planning processes. Professionals have varying interpretations of what NBS entails, and there is little information on measures at the ground level.
The future of land neutrality in Norway
Ane Tingstad Grav and Hanna Utseth from Nordre Follo concluded by highlighting how land neutrality is already part of Norwegian land use planning. They emphasized the importance of reusing existing developed areas and preventing the development of valuable natural areas, especially at a time when biodiversity loss is one of the greatest threats to biological diversity.
They also stressed the value of “everyday nature,” green areas close to people. Everyday nature is important for maintaining biodiversity and should be prioritized in planning and restoration projects. In 2023, a NINA report assessed restorable natural areas in Nordre Follo and identified where everyday nature could be improved.
Land neutrality is a crucial principle for balancing the need for development with the conservation of nature and biodiversity. By reusing and densifying existing development areas, implementing compensatory measures, and maintaining a good overview of municipal natural values, we can reduce nature loss and ensure more sustainable land management.