A little less than 2% of all red listed species in Norway are in Svalbard. At the moment only mammals, birds, fresh water fish and vascular plants are assessed in Svalbard. Several species are considered endangered.

As many as 70 species from Svalbard are on the Red List for Norway right now.  The largest group are vascular plants with 51 species out of which 35 are considered endangered. Among the Svalbard mammals polar bear, walrus and harbour seal are listed too.

In Svalbard abiotical factors influence the biodiversity, especially the air and water temperature and the presence of snow and ice. For the vascular plants it is the soil, the rock type and its mineral content. The Red List 2006 stated that climate change influences in a negative way the existence of 7 vascular plants and 3 marine mammals.

Source: Svalbard - Miljøforhold og påvirkninger på rødlistearter (in Norwegian)

More information: Artsdatabanken (www.artsdatabanken.no), Svalbardflora.net

Contact: Jon Atle Kålås, Artsdatabanken (John.A.Kalas@artsdatabanken.no) or Christian Lydersen, NPI (lydersen@npolar.no)

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Mossy Mountain-heather (Moselyng in Norwegian; Harrimanella hypnoides in Latin) from Feiringfjellet, Kongsfjorden (photo: Bjørn Erik Sandbakk, www.svalbardflora.net)