The report is published by the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), Norway’s leading institution for applied ecological research. The report will be used as background material by the Norwegian Government when the administrative management plan for possible oil-drilling in the Lofoten- and Barents Sea areas will be debated.
The report addresses the question whether the Lofoten-Barents Sea ecosystems are different and more vulnerable to oil pollution as compared to more southern Norwegian marine ecosystems.
The authors of the report writes that there are a number of aspects which differ between the two areas, in particular with respect to biodiversity (lower in the north), species distributions, and ‘hot spot areas’ with high productivity and animal aggregations (especially significant in the north).
Cleaning up marine oil spills in remote, icy areas like the Arctic is particularly difficult, the reports says.
Moreover, the Lofoten-Barents Sea ecosystem appears, in several ways, more vulnerable to pollution from oil. This is due to, for instance, lower biodiversity, which has been suggested to be associated with lower resilience. Also, this area is the home of many valuable and vulnerable organisms. For example, the Lofoten-Barents Sea hosts large seabird colonies and contains the nursery area of important fishes.
The report concludes that there are significant conflicts of interest between petroleum activities and other activities in the area, for example, important fisheries and nature conservation.
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In March 2006 the Norwegian Government presented its first integrated management plan for the Barents Sea and the sea areas off the Lofoten Islands.
The governmental management plan sets the overall framework for both existing and new activities in these waters, and facilitates the co-existence of different industries, particularly the fisheries industry, maritime transport and petroleum industry.
