Nordhordland

Nordhordland Biosphere Reserve is centrally located on the coast of western Norway and comprises the coastal landscape between Bergen and Sognefjorden. It stretches from the Atlantic Ocean in the west across the outer coastal archipelago, passing through hundreds of fjords and inlets, and ends in the mountains to the east at 1,300 m above sea level. Water is a central theme because it has shaped the region’s natural features and because people have long used lakes, rivers, fjords and the open ocean for hunting, fishing and transport. Nordhordland is also vital for the Norwegian economy, with large hydroelectric resources and oil and gas extracted from the seabed off the coast.
 
The overall long-term objective of Vattenriket’s activities is to create a shift in attitude towards economic, ecological and social sustainability.

Ecological Characteristics

The biosphere reserve is characterised by a high diversity of ecosystems with associated flora and fauna. At its western edge lies the open archipelago, which protects the mainland from the open sea. The ecosystems here are linked to the Norwegian Trench and the Norwegian Continental Shelf. The sea contains clean, clear Atlantic water with a high salt content. In the ocean depths are deep-water corals, and further in are extensive kelp forests. In addition to Lindåsosane, a system of small, shallow fjords, three major fjords stand out: the national salmon fjords of the island of Osterøy, Masfjorden and Lurefjorden.
The freshwater systems show high diversity in the rivers flowing from the mountains to the fjords, and largely depend on nutrients and organic material transported from the land by run-off and wind. Water quality and biological processes are therefore strongly influenced by bedrock, biological processes and human activity in the catchment. These river systems are especially important regionally and globally as spawning areas for Atlantic salmon.
 

Socio-Economics Characteristics

Nordhordland has a wide variety of typical Norwegian businesses and industry and represents a good cross-section of the Norwegian population in terms of employment and housing. It has large hydroelectric resources, and oil and gas are extracted from the seabed off the coast. The region also holds a central position in the aquaculture industry. Nordhordland lies between two prime tourist attractions, the Hardangerfjord and the Sognefjord, and is near the tourist city of Bergen, receives a high number of cruise-ship tourists each year. Yet Nordhordland has very little tourism.

The potential, however, is significant, both for capitalising on those who already visit the region, often using huts and cabins, and for increasing the number of new visitors from Norway and abroad.