Norway’s natural environment is diverse, with a great variety of ecology and habitats over short distances. This variation provides the basis for a rich diversity of plant and animal species.

The Norwegian Biodiversity Information Centre’s work with ecosystems and natural variation takes two main forms:
 

  • Nature Types in Norway (NiN), a comprehensive classification system developed by the Centre. The classification is based on a thorough review of the scientific evidence in ecological variation on marine, freshwater and terrestrial environments.
     
  • A Red List for Ecosystems and Habitat types, a publication that characterizes Norway’s at-risk ecosystems and habitats, using a method similar to that used for assigning species to Red List categories.