Arendal and the Norwegian, Raet National Park ("Sørlandet")
Arendal, where GRID-Arendal has its offices, is the capital of the Norwegian province (Fylke) Aust Agder. Arendal is also centrally positioned in the Coastal Archipelago Park of the South Coast ("Sørlandet") of Norway. The park covers an area of the Skagerak coast between Grenland in Telemark and Lindesnes in West Agder, including many hundreds of islands and skerries. The Sørland coast is one of the most important recreation areas of Norway and hosts a unique coastal ecosystem with special habitats and a rich biodiversity. Therefore tourism is regulated accordingly with special nature reserves and bird sanctuaries in place. The Ministry of Climate and Environment has given the governor (Fylkesmann) of Aust Agder the mandate to establish until 2016 the "Raet National Park", a marine park at the coast of the municipalities Arendal, Tvedestrand and Grimstad . With the Flødevigen Marine Biology Station of the Norwegian Marine Research Institute on Hisøy, since more than 125 years important marine research is taking place in the area. GRID-Arendal, which has its offices right at the waterfront of Arendal, is well connected to the marine environment and can explain and demonstrate its world-wide marine work and global environmental policies right out at its doorsteps. Arendal's and Sørlandet's ambitions to profile as environmental city and region has great potential for walking the talk locally what we are preaching globally about protecting the marine environment. The envisioned Sørland Archipelago National Park can become a great example.
Year: 2016