Nature protection and biodiversity - State and impacts (Norway)

The 2010 Norwegian Red List was published by the Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre in November 2010. The List is a forecast of the risk of species becoming extinct in Norway. The assessments are based on the Red List Criteria from The World Conservation Union and a total of 21 000 species have been evaluated.

A majorityof the groups of species on the Norwegian mainland have been evaluated, while vascular plants, birds, mammals, freshwater fish and springtailshave been evaluated on Svalbard. Marine invertebrates, algae, fish and sea mammals have been evaluated in the Norwegian economic zone and the protected fisheries zone around Svalbard. Red list assessments have been undertaken for indigenous multicellular species. At present, we know of approximately 40 000 such species.

The Red List is comprised of evaluations made for about 21 000 of these species. Data deficiencies pertaining to distribution records and taxonomy are the main reason why more species have not been assessed. In total 4 599 are classified as red-list species. Of these, 2 398 species are ranked as threatened (i.e. they are in one of the top three red-list categories; critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable).

The highest occurrence of Red List species is in forest and woodland with 1 838 species, which is 40 per cent of the Red List species. However, many of these species are not exclusively associated with forests, but may also occur in other habitats.

There are also many threatened or near threatened species in areas that have been or are strongly affected by human activities, particularly farming, now or in the past. Of these, meadows, pastures and rough grazing are most important with 741 species (20per centof all threatened or near threatened species)

• Read more about threatened species in Norway