Amendments to the Svalbard Environment Protection Act adopted
Several amendments to the Svalbard Environment Protection Act have been adopted today. The purpose of the changes is to reduce the disturbance from human activity on wildlife and to ensure good and efficient decision-making processes.
The Storting (Norwegian parliament) has stipulated tightening of the rules on polar bears, a ban on the use of drones at selected bird cliffs and changes to the provisions on infringement fees and clean-up.
In addition, authorizations have been adopted to be able to delegate authority to follow up on illegalities and to charge fees for private planning proposals.
The changes apply from 1 January 2025.
More information about the new rules can be found here (in Norwegian): Endringer i svalbardmiljøloven gir bedre beskyttelse for isbjørn og sjøfugl - regjeringen.no