For more information on the upcoming Svalbard Conference to be
held in Longyearbyen, Svalbard, next week, please contact:
Peter Prokosch, WWF Arctic Programme, +47/2203-6518, pprokosch [at] wwf.no
Rasmus Hansson, WWF-Norway, +47/2203-6514, rhansson [at] wwf.no
Samantha Smith, WWF Arctic Programme, +47/2203-6517, ssmith [at] wwf.no
Bjorn Frantzen, WWF contact in Longyearbyen, +47/7902-3745,
boff [at] online.no
"ONE OF THE BEST-MANAGED WILDERNESS AREAS IN THE WORLD":
ACHIEVING THE NORWEGIAN ENVIRONMENTAL GOAL FOR SVALBARD
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
12-13 MARCH 2001
LONGYEARBYEN, SVALBARD
HOSTED BY WWF ARCTIC PROGRAMME & WWF-NORWAY
CONFERENCE RATIONALE:
Svalbard is the largest and northernmost wilderness area in Western
Europe. Norway's goal is to make Svalbard one of the best-managed
wilderness areas in the world. Yet there are still threats to Svalbard's
wilderness status. An increase in tourism, especially cruise and
snowscooter tourism, is bringing more tourists to more remote and
fragile areas of the archipelago. Norwegian and Russian coal mining
companies on Svalbard oppose new protected areas and plan to increase
production, expand mining to new areas, and build roads and power lines.
Research activities on Svalbard bring increasing amounts of activity and
increasing infrastructure for monitoring. Gold mining and the Russian
discovery of oil and gas on Svalbard represent longer term but no less
serious concerns.
Choices made now will determine whether Svalbard in ten, twenty, and
thirty years will still be a globally important wilderness area with
unique value for tourism and scientific research. This spring, the
Norwegian Parliament will debate the merits of a new environmental law
for Svalbard. Decisions will be made soon regarding nine new protected
areas on the archipelago, the proposed expansion of coal mining, and new
regulations for tourism. WWF has therefore invited a broad range of
participants to discuss these developments, and what still needs to be
done to achieve the goal of making Svalbard one of the best-managed
wilderness areas in the world.
CONFERENCE OBJECTIVES:
To discuss how different user groups and interests can contribute to
making Svalbard one of the best-managed wilderness areas in the world.
To build public opinion and support for this goal.
To provide background for recommendations WWF will draft on how to make
Svalbard one of the best-managed wilderness areas in the world. These
recommendations will be WWF's contribution to the coming debates over
the new environmental law for Svalbard, the proposed new protected
areas, the expansion of coal mining, and new tourism regulations.
AGENDA
MONDAY, 12 MARCH 2001
Meeting Location: Lecture Hall, UNIS, Longyearbyen
8:30-9:00 Registration
9:00-9:30 Welcome and Opening Speeches
Opening Remarks - Jan Thompson, Chair of Conference
Welcome - Morten Ruud, Governor of Svalbard
- Sigmund Spjelkavik, Svalbard Community
- Rolf Langvatn, UNIS
Session I: Setting the Stage
9:30-9:50 Introduction and Background for the Conference
- Peter Prokosch, WWF Arctic Programme, Oslo
9:50 -10:30 What Regulations Are Needed for Good Wilderness Management?
Experiences and Views from the Svalbard Governor's Office
- Carl Erik Kilander, Chief of Environmental Section, Governor of
Svalbard's office
10:30 - 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 - 11:30 Environmental Vision for Svalbard
- N.N., MD
11:30 - 12:00 Svalbard Community Views on Wilderness Management
- Sigmund Spjelkavik, Svalbard Community
12:00 - 13:30 LUNCH Break
Session II: Traditional Industry - Coal Mining.
13:30 -14:00 Store Norske's Coal Mining and its Place in Local and
Global Climate, Gas Emission and Environmental Situations
- Robert Hermansen, Store Norske Spitsbergen Kulkompani A/S
14:00 - 14:30 Title
- N.N. Trust Arktikugol
14:30 - 15:30 Plenary Discussion
- (in this slot we could also fit in members of Stortinget, to give a
short statement, if they come)
15:30 - 15:45 Coffee Break
Session III: The Legal and Environmental Framework.
15:45 - 16:15 The Proposed Environmental Law for Svalbard
- Lillian Hoem, Ministry of the Environment
16:15 - 16:45 The Legal Framework: The Svalbard Treaty, the Mining Code,
and Norway's Ability to Achieve More Nature Conservation On Svalbard
- Geir Ulfstein, University of Oslo
16:45 - 17:15 Svalbard, As Seen from an International Conservation
Organization
- Stefan Norris, WWF Arctic Programme
17:15 - 17:45 Summary and Conclusions for the Day
- Rasmus Hansson, WWF Norway
18:00 - 19:00 Reception at UNIS
TUESDAY, 13 MARCH 2001
9:00 - 9:10 Recap of First Day and Review of Agenda - Jan Thompson
Session IV: New Industries - Tourism, Research and Education.
9:10 - 9:30 Tourism on Svalbard: Trends and Developments
- Trond Overas, Svalbard Reiselivsrad
9:30 - 9:45 Responsible Tourism and the Exercise of Norwegian
Sovereignty on Svalbard
- Ulf Prytz, Svalbard Polar Gruppen as
9:45 - 10:00 What Kind of Tourism Do We Want to See on Svalbard?
- Jan Olav Nybo, Norwegian Mountain Touring Association
10:00 - 10:15 (Provisional Title: Wilderness Tourism from a Local
Perspective)
- (Longyearbyen Tour Operator)
10:15 - 10:30 Best-Managed Wilderness? Local Impacts of Fisheries and
State-Subsidized Activities
- Andreas Umbreit, Terra Polaris, Germany and Svalbard
10:30 - 11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 - 11:15 Uniform and Strict Rules for the Whole Svalbard
Archipelago Are Beneficial for Nature Protection and Wilderness
Experience
- Ko de Korte, Oceanwide, The Netherlands
11:15 - 11:30 How Ship-Based Tourism Can Contribute to the Norwegian
Wilderness Goal for Svalbard
- Barbel Kramer, Hapag Lloyd Seetouristik, Germany
11:30 - 11:45 How Travel Companies Can Support Protected Area Management
- Examples from other Parts of the World
- Tom O'Brien, Lindblad Expeditions, USA
11:45 - 12:00 Plenary Discussion
12:00 - 13:30 Lunch Break
Session V: How Research Can Contribute to the Wilderness Goal
13:30 -14:00 How Can Research Help to Make Svalbard One of the
Best-Managed Wilderness Areas in the World?
- Pal Prestrud, Norwegian Polar Institute
14:00 - 14:45 Criteria for Wilderness Management in the Context of the
Svalbard Goal
- Oystein Overrein, Norwegian Polar Institute
14:45 -15:00 Human Wilderness Interactions - Paradoxes and Dilemmas
- Rolf Langvatn, UNIS, Longyearbyen
15:00 - 15:15 Coffee Break
15:15 -15:30 Waste Management at 79 Degrees North
- Monica Kristensen, Kings Bay
15:30 - 15:45 Monitoring the Geophysical Environment on Svalbard
- Elena Kremenetskaya, KRSC, Apatity, Russia
15:45 - 16:00 Environmental Research at Koldewey Station in Ny-Alesund
- Roland Neuber, Alfred Wegener Institute, Potsdam, Germany
16:15 - 16:30 Cumulative Impacts of Tourism and Development on Svalbard
- Christian Nellemann, NINA, Lillehammer
16:30 - 17:00 Summary and Conclusions of the Conference
- Rasmus Hansson, WWF Norway, Oslo
17:00 ADJOURN
LOGISTICS/ORGANIZATION:
Chairperson for the Conference: Jan Thompson, First Executive Officer,
SND, former Director General of the Department for International
Cooperation, Air Management and Polar Affairs of the Norwegian Ministry
of Environment
Conference Location: UNIS.
Conference Language: English.
Reception: There will be a reception, sponsored by WWF, on Monday
evening, March 12, at UNIS.
Accommodations and travel: There are special offers from Radisson SAS
Polar Hotel tel: +47/7902-3450 (single room/night 895.-, double room
990.-) and Hotel Funken tel: +47/7902-6200 (single room/night 995.-,
double room/night 1145.-). When booking please refer to WWF. All
participants, including invited participants, are expected to cover
their own travel and accommodations costs.
Contacts: Peter Prokosch, WWF Arctic Programme, +47/2203-6518
(pprokosch [at] wwf.no); Rasmus Hansson, WWF-Norway, +47/2203-6514
(rhansson [at] wwf.no); Samantha Smith, WWF Arctic Programme, +47/2203-6517
(ssmith [at] wwf.no); Bjørn Frantzen, WWF contact in Longyearbyen,
+47/7902-3745 (boff [at] online.no).