NORWEGIAN NATURE INSPECTORATE

The Norwegian Nature Inspectorate

The Norwegian Nature Inspectorate (SNO) is a department of the Directorate for Nature Management (DN). DN is a national body that has the scientific responsibility for managing the Norwegian countryside. It is responsible to the Ministry of Environment on matters concerning nature management.

Acts and Regulations establish the basis of the authority, which DN has been given to manage natural resources. The Directorate is also responsible for monitoring the state of wildlife and the natural environment, and for identifying, preventing and solving environmental problems. This work is intended to take place through co-operation with, and advice and information to, sectors of the population and other public authorities, both in Norway and other countries.

SNO was set up in 1998 as a separate department at the Directorate, pursuant to the Nature Inspectorate Act. SNO is required to look after national environmental qualities and prevent environmental crime.

It has the task of co-ordinating and improving all the nature inspection work taking place in Norway and of building up a more all-embracing nature inspectorate. SNO has a central administrative unit based at the Directorate in Trondheim and local offices dispersed around the country.

The employees of SNO has restricted police authority when inspecting.

You can visit the official DN pages here http://english.dirnat.no/