Nicola Arndt und Matthias Pohl - Neobiota

Map 1: Landscape Character Areas of England (source: COUNTRYSIDE COMMISSION 1997)
3.2 Norway’s landscape types
Based on a project that the Ministers of the Nordic Council launched in 1987, a map of landscape
regions has been developed. A hierarchical approach utilises the best national and local data that is
available. In a collaborative approach with the agriculture and nature conservation departments and
cultural heritage departments, Norway has been divided into 45 landscape regions and 444 sub-
regions. These are then divided into landscape areas.
Part of the approach has been the mapping of ten different types of agricultural landscape regions as
they are being used (see Map). It is the top of a hierarchical system and shows these landscape regions
being built up by the 45 regions, so it shares part of the boundaries.
As the name of the map indicates, main focus has been on the actual land use – though vegetation data
has been applied when establishing biogeographical regions along climatic criteria, arriving at five
large zones (glaciers, alpine, boreal, boreo-nemoral, and nemoral) with 76 sub-zones. These sub-zones
are based on topography, vegetation cover (forest types) and regional identity.
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