Land use
How can holiday homes be planned and located so that the loss of nature is minimized – and in some cases, contribute to improving the state of nature?
Holiday homes occupy large areas. In recent decades, development has been extensive, especially in the mountains and in mountainous areas.
Land use is therefore a key issue in future holiday home development.
Holiday home areas require roads, parking, technical infrastructure and terrain interventions. In addition, there is the need to facilitate traffic in the surrounding areas. The overall impact can therefore be far greater than the footprint of the holiday home itself.
In the theme of Land Use, we show how municipalities, developers and local stakeholders can work more knowledge-based on issues related to land. The goal is to reduce nature loss and steer development towards areas that are better suited for holiday homes.
Terms and definitions
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Measures how well nature functions in an area. An ecosystem is in good ecological condition when important natural values are preserved, and when human impact has not significantly changed nature's functions.
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Rare species, red list species and protected areas often receive the most attention in environmental assessments. At the same time, ordinary nature also has great value. This can include forests, bogs, streams, mountain vegetation, edge zones and nearby areas used for outdoor activities and experiences.
Ordinary nature has weaker formal protection than rare species and protected areas. It is nevertheless important for the landscape, biodiversity and human use of the area.
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It can withstand little impact before it changes. It can also take a very long time to repair itself if damaged.
Often involves marshes, wetlands, mountain vegetation, migration corridors for animals, habitats for species or areas where traffic causes wear and tear.
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Degraded nature is areas that have already been changed or damaged by human influence. These can be old landfills, landfills, abandoned industrial areas, old construction sites, remaining areas along roads or areas around previous technical interventions. Such areas are often referred to as grey areas.
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Nature restoration is active measures to improve nature that has been degraded or destroyed.
The goal is to strengthen nature's ability to function and deliver natural goods. These can include carbon storage, pollination, clean water, erosion control, flood protection, recreation and habitats for species.
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Uses nature's own processes to solve challenges. In holiday home areas this may involve preserving vegetation, waterways, soil and terrain.
Nature-based solutions can also make holiday home areas more robust against erosion, torrential rain, flooding and wear and tear.
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A nature account is a comprehensive overview of nature in an area. It can show which habitat types and ecosystems exist, what condition they are in, what natural goods they provide, and how this changes over time.
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Area neutrality means that new development and land use should not lead to a net loss of natural areas. If nature is destroyed, the loss must be compensated to the greatest extent possible through restoration or return of other areas.
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Here, nature neutrality is used to refer to interventions that do not result in a net loss of natural areas, nor do they impair the ecological condition of the areas or natural resources compared to before the intervention. This requires both area accounting and an assessment of the state of nature.
Theme and problem
Holiday homes make up a significant portion of land use in Norway. Since 2011, between 4,000 and 7,000 holiday homes have been completed annually. Analyses also show that holiday homes account for a large portion of planned development in Norway.
The land reserve for holiday homes is large in Norway. Approximately half of the land reserve is located in nature that currently has little or no intervention.
This makes land use one of the most important issues in future holiday home development. If development continues on the current pattern, holiday homes will continue to contribute to downsizing, fragmentation and increased pressure on nature.
New holiday home areas in untouched or slightly disturbed nature usually cause the greatest stress. Such areas are often connected to larger landscapes, habitats and ecological functions. When a new area is opened, it also brings with it roads, technical infrastructure, traffic and new patterns of use.
Expansion of existing holiday home areas can also result in loss of nature. Densification in already developed areas will often be a better alternative than opening new natural areas. At the same time, densification must be assessed against natural values, landscape, well-being and local considerations.
Grey areas and other degraded nature are an important track in this guide. Such areas are already affected by human activity. If they are suitable for development, they can provide an opportunity to save intact nature. In some cases, development can also be combined with restoration, so that the state of nature is improved.
Land use must be considered on several levels. The individual plot of land is important. The holiday home area is important. The surrounding landscape is also important.
At the plot level, it concerns the location of buildings, terrain interventions, vegetation and waterways. In the holiday home area, it concerns roads, parking, technical infrastructure and the construction phase. At the landscape level, it concerns the total load from holiday homes, traffic, paths, trails, other land use and vulnerable natural values.
Key questions within the topic of land use :
How can we know which areas have the potential to improve their ecological condition?
What measures can help improve ecological status?
To answer these questions, better knowledge is needed about natural values, vulnerability, grey areas and ecological condition. Nature accounting, mapping of grey areas and visitor management can provide a better basis for choosing areas and measures.
The core of the theme is to use land more consciously. Before opening new areas, municipalities and developers should consider whether the need can be solved through existing holiday home areas, densification or development of degraded areas.