Available online: https://pub.norden.org/temanord2021-506/ The project uncovers municipal incentives for meeting national targets for preservation of existing (or establishment of new) nature areas in spatial planning and land management, and pinpoint possible discrepancies between the national targets and local incentives, through case studies that present insights on how the municipalities in the Nordic countries take biodiversity, cultural aspects and outdoor activities into account in their spatial planning. The cases cover varying themes and conflicts between interests and provides an overview of different considerations that are at stake when planning and balancing land use. Through a mapping of different strategies and policy instruments affecting land use planning, PlanMiljø have compiled recommendations on how to improve the process of land use planning to avoid conflicts between stakeholders.

Available online: https://pub.norden.org/politiknord2021-727/ Our Vision 2030 seeks to make the Nordic Region the most sustainable and integrated region in the world by 2030. When pursuing such an ambitious goal, it is important to monitor progress closely and regularly. The Nordic Council of Ministers commissioned Rambøll Management Consulting to draw up a baseline measurement for Our Vision and paint a picture of where the Nordic Region stands now. While the report shows that the foundations for the work are solid and progress generally good, it also identifies a number of challenges and points out where there is room for improvement, especially in terms of the green transition.

The international target to slow and even halt the decline in biodiversity by the end of 2010 has been included in the Nordic Council of Ministers' Environmental Action Plan for 2009-2012. We already know that this goal will not be reached, in spite of the many actions big and small taken around the Nordic Region to help preserve and protect biodiversity. During the UN International Year of Biodiversity 2010 new goals will be defined and campaigns will be conducted to emphasise the importance of biodiversity to nature and people. The task of conserving biodiversity will also continue after the theme year 2010. The project Nordic nature - trends towards 2010 has presented examples illustrating the threats facing biodiversity together with conservation success stories, and also descriptions of conservation efforts that have not always produced the desired results. These reviews have been published as fact sheets in electronic format on the project's websites in all of the Nordic languages and in English. This publication compiles these published fact sheets, together with a summary of current trends in biodiversity in the Nordic Countries, as part of our region's contribution towards the 2010 biodiversity target and the goal of increasing awareness of the special significance of biodiversity.

This is the fourth Environmental Performance Review of Norway. It provides an independent, evidence-based evaluation of the country’s environmental performance over the past decade.

The working group on Sustainable Consumption and Production, under the Nordic Council of Ministers requested consultants from Gaia to identify, write out and publish best practice cases of sustainable consumption and production on the UNEP SCP Clearinghouse. This report presents nineteen initiatives that cover two particular themes: 1) Sustainable Lifestyles and Education and 2) Sustainable Public Procurement. The cases have also been added into the UNEP's 10 Year Frame-work Program (10YFP) information platform, the SCP Clearinghouse which is a concrete result of Rio+20. The objective is to enhance international cooperation in order to accelerate a shift towards sustainable consumption and production in developed and developing countries. The SCP Clearinghouse is a web-based information sharing tool, which can be used by different actors as an inspiration for advancing SCP worldwide.

Norway is performing unevenly across its four agricultural policy objectives. While Norway enjoys a high level of food security and is meeting its aim of maintaining agricultural production across the country, both environmental performance and the efficient creation of value added along the food chain are compromised by support policies linked to production levels.

The 2030 Agenda, adopted by the UN General Assembly in September 2015, outlines an ambitious and universal plan of action for people, planet and prosperity as it seeks to strengthen universal peace and freedom. This report presents national and Nordic action on Agenda 2030 with the aim to inform and support the Nordic Council of Ministers in formulating a new Nordic Sustainable Development Programme. All Nordic countries are engaged and strongly committed to implementing Agenda 2030 and there is a broad societal interest in joint Nordic action. The existing Nordic Strategy for Sustainable Development and several other key initiatives within Nordic cooperation already contribute to the goals of Agenda 2030. A new Nordic Sustainable Development Programme can build upon a strong foundation and add further value to the national and international work done by the Nordic countries.