Knut Bjørn Stokke

Contested knowledges, contested responsibilities: The EU Water Framework Directive and salmon farming in Norway

Movik, S. & Stokke, K.B. 2015. Contested knowledges, contested responsibilities: The EU Water Framework Directive and salmon farming in Norway. Norsk Geografisk Tidsskrift–Norwegian Journal of Geography Vol. 00, 00–00. ISSN 0029-1951 Norway has signed the European Unions Water Framework Directive (WFD), according to which all water bodies are expected to have ‘good ecological status’ by 2021. An ongoing debate about the environmental impacts of aquaculture is related particularly to the impact on wild salmon of the spread of salmon lice and escaped farmed fish. The authors examine the key arguments concerning the environmental impact of salmon farming, and how knowledge is produced and marshalled in the dispute. How does the framing of knowledge and authority affect the apportioning of responsibility for taking appropriate measures to mitigate negative effects? The questions are addressed by drawing on insights from critical political ecology and work on governance scales, and by analysing relevant documents and ‘grey’ literature in combination with in-depth, semi-structured interviews with key actors. The authors find that there are biases within the research environments that tend to reinforce existing divisions between the environmental authorities and fisheries authorities. Disagreements about the appropriate scientific approaches to assessing sustainability are a barrier to co-operation and planning, and the consensus needed to implement appropriate measures will depend on clarification at the national level.

Balancing tourism development and nature protection across national park borders – a case study of a coastal protected area in Norway

The study examines the relationship between nature management and land use planning in order to balance nature protection and tourism development within and outside national park borders. Applying theory about local networks and social learning, we highlight how responsible actors coordinate in order to strike a balance between protection and tourism. Based on this study of a Norwegian coastal national park, we state that competent key individuals are crucial preconditions for fulfilling the management and planning objectives in a wider regional context. In our case study, such personnel within the national park management and municipal land use planning system serve as bridge builders between nature protection and tourism. However, we argue that the existing management system is very vulnerable, and an important implication of our study is that the present local network should be more firmly institutionalized in order to become sufficiently robust and resistant to changes.

Implementing EUs Water Framework Directive in Norway: Can the New River Basin Districts Ensure Environmental Policy Integration?

This article is an empirical analysis of Norway’s implementation of the EU Water Framework Directive. Aiming at achieving good environmental status in all of Europe’s waters by 2015, the Directive is seen as a case of ‘environmental policy integration’ because it requires all relevant branches of government to comply with the provisions of the directive. Norway is currently in the process of finalizing the first comprehensive round of planning. Results from a survey in two rounds to key actors indicate that some branches of government seem to have made less progress than others in terms of achieving environmental policy integration. These differences are analyzed by reference to variations in the institutional set-ups and regulatory mechanisms available in each sector. The structural preconditions for effective environmental regulation appear to be highly varied, and this may affect the potential for achieving the aims of the directive related to all stressors to the aquatic environment. Keywords: Climate change adaptation; Policy innovation; Local government; Water framework directive

Between Development and Protection: Different Discourses in Urban Planning

Abstract This article identifies topical storylines centred on the future use of a Norwegian urban forest. All stakeholders accept a ‘protection storyline’ where species, artefacts and places deemed as unique and valuable shall be spared from development. The tension is, however, between a reductionist approach where the remaining forest can be exploited and a comprehensive approach where the quality of the forest as a whole supersedes the unique qualities it hosts. Supporters of the reductionist approach enforce their argument by drawing on the enhanced attention to health effects of near recreation and accessibility. Over time, this understanding of accessibility as topical value for outdoor recreation may in the future give weight to a more reductionist approach to management of the recreational areas.