The variety and beauty of the Norwegian fauna and flora is what draws many travellers to this country, but did you know many endemic species were threatened? The Red List is a record of all the threatened species in Norway. Published in 2006, the list was compiled by 23 teams of experts who assessed 18,500 species in mainland Norway and on Svalbard, as well as in Norwegian seas. Close to 2,000 species currently feature on the list as critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable, and include 78 species of birds, 44 fish, 31 mammals, and 5 species of reptiles and amphibians. Top of the list are actually beetles (802 species) and fungi (744 species), followed by butterflies and moths (430 species).

The Red List helps to draw attention to threatened species not only at a national level, but also among regional and local authorities. Its aim is to make sure species do not disappear from the country and to maintain viable and healthy plant and animal communities. The highest concentration of threatened species can be found in forest and woodland, closely followed by agricultural landscapes (kulturlandskap), where increased agricultural activity and forestry destroy habitats, as do the building of roads and houses. Pollution and climate change, unsurprisingly, also form important pressures on biological diversity.