1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Oslo
Region
Europe
Native title of the NBS intervention
Østensjøvannet Miljøpark
Short description of the intervention
Østensjøvannet is a nature reserve covering an area of 539 acres, which includes both the water body and certain parts of surrounding land. It was established in order to preserve the important wetland area and its associated vegetation, bird and animal life significant for the region. In June 2002, Oslo municipality went further and created the Østensjøvannet Environmental Park, which covers 1187 acres of land and water. The park aims to further protect and strengthen the area, which is one of the most popular recreation areas of Oslo, and acts as an important area for research and education. (Ref. 1, 7)
Address

Ostensjo Lake Environmental Park
1187 Oslo
Norway

Location
The NBS is situated in an area, with clear delineation of boundaries and a specific shape (polygon). The NBS project can also have more than one area location (more than one polygon, situated close by).
Area boundary
POINT (10.838558 59.869469)
POINT (10.838291 59.887591)
POINT (10.83566 59.895816)
POINT (10.828188 59.899946)
POINT (10.820255 59.898047)
POINT (10.821684 59.88981)
POINT (10.813944 59.887156)
NBS area image
Source of NBS area image
Source: Ref. 9
Total area
4803620.00m²
NBS area
4803620.00m²
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Natural Heritage Area/Untouched nature
Website of the intervention
http://www.ostensjovannet.no/
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2001
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2002
End date of the intervention
2002
Present stage of the intervention
Completed
Goals of the intervention
1. Preserve and develop Lake Østensjø and its surroundings as a precious area of living nature, culture and recreation through sustainable use and management
2. Secure the area's cultural landscape, so that the old agricultural land, with meadows, fields, grazers, cultural heritage, historical buildings, stone walls and mounds, roads and trails, graveyards, gardens and culturally important vegetation are preserved.
3. Secure the wetlands of birdlife and conservation listed plants and facilitate education.
4. Secure the development towards better water quality and contribute to preservation the biodiversity of the inner lake.
5. Secure a good childhood for the young, promote public health and well being.
(Ref. 1)
Quantitative targets
1187 acres of land shall be protected and maintained in a sustainable manner
The water quality should reach a level of no more than 0.02-0.05 mg of total phosphorus per litre. Time for this target to be met is not specified (Ref. 2).
Monitoring indicators defined
acres of land protected and maintained sustainably; water quality levels in mg of total phosphorus per litre (Ref. 2)
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Habitat and biodiversity conservation
Water management (SDG 6)
Improvements to water quality
Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
Preservation of natural heritage
Protection of historic and cultural landscape/infrastructure
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Creation of opportunities for recreation
Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What types of conservation goals are / were defined for the NBS intervention?
Ecosystem-focused
Habitats and biodiversity conservation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Protect and enhance urban habitats
Preserve and strengthen existing habitats and ecosystems
Means for conservation governance
Public engagement
Implementation activities
Protection and preservation of cultural heritage as well as green space, habitats and biodiversity through the establishment of the 1187-acre Environmental Park (Ref. 1,2)
Reduction of polluted runoff into the lake (Ref. 1)
Development of new hiking trails and pedestrian/cycle paths, designed to the greatest possible extent to satisfy accessibility requirements for those with reduced mobility (Ref. 1)
Type of NBS project
Maintenance and management of urban nature
Management and improved protection of rivers and other blue areas
Protection of natural ecosystems
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Blue infrastructure
Lakes/ponds
In-land wetlands, peatlands, swamps, and moors
Parks and urban forests
Large urban parks or forests
Vegetation Type
Shrubs
Trees
Other
Please specify how many trees were planted
Unknown
Amenities offered by the NBS
Sports areas and equipment
Educational and research amenities (nature protection centre, monitoring stations)
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Habitat and supporting services
Habitats for species
Cultural services
Aesthetic appreciation
Recreation
Intellectual interactions (scientific and / or educational)
Other
Please specify "other cultural service"
Preservation of the area's cultural landscape (Ref 1)
Scale
Spatial scale
Micro-scale: District/neighbourhood level
Beneficiaries
Primary Beneficiaries
Local government/Municipality
Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
Non-government organisation/Civil Society
Researchers/University
Citizens or community groups
Governance
Governance arrangements
Government-led
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
Local Government: Leads NBS initiative, develops relevant management plans and regulations (Ref. 1,9)

NGO: Friends of Østensjø Lake is an NGO that maintains the nature reserve and arranges activities and other inventions for the park, as well as run the local newspaper "Sothøna". (Ref. 3).

Citizens/ Civil Society/ Public Sector/ Universities: citizens, schools and the University of Oslo are users of the area and often conduct data collection and research withinin Østensjø Environmental park. (Ref. 3)
Key actors - initiating organization
Local government/municipality
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Local government/municipality
Public sector institution
Non-government organisation/civil society
Citizens or community group
Researchers/university
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Participatory methods/forms of community involvement used
Co-planning (e.g. stakeholder workshops, focus groups, participatory mapping)
Citizen monitoring and review
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to an Regional Directive/Strategy
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Unknown
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Unknown
Enablers
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS vision/strategy/plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of specific city-level GI/NBS section/part in a more general plan - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Please specify other vegetation type
Wetlands vegetation (Ref. 1)
In 2019, there are around 440 plant species, including the red-listed giant starlings and water lilies . On Abildsø farm's dry slopes are thermophilic species strandløk and vårveronika , both of which are very rare outside areas surrounding the Oslo Fjord. In Oppsal Skrenten growing species such as blood cranesbill , ground thyme , loddnebregne and Maiden Pink. A number of rare species of fungi, lichen and moss are also found, including scarlet screen fungi which have otherwise only been found in two places in Norway. (Ref. 10)
Presence of city network or regional partnerships focused on NBS - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Presence of GI / NBS research project - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Subsidies/investment for GI / NBS in the city - mentioned in connection to the project
Unknown
Co-finance for NBS
Unknown
Co-financing governance arrangements
Unknown
Was this co-governance arrangement already in place, or was it set up specifically for this NBS?
Unknown
Financing
Total cost
Unknown
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
Unknown
What are the total amount of expected annual maintenance costs?
Unknown
What is the expected annual maintenance costs of the NBS or GI elements?
Unknown
Please specify cost savings
Unknown
Please specify total cost (EUR)
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
Public local authority budget
Type of fund(s) used
Earmarked public budget
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Business models
Green heritage model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Public actor (e.g. municipality)
Type of innovation
Social
Policy innovation
Cultural innovation
Please specify social innovation
The intervention is a policy intervention in that it is now protecting the area from unsustainable exploitation and making sure green space and habitats are preserved for maintenance of biodiversity. It is a cultural intervention in terms of creating important areas for recreation to stimulate health and well-being. (Ref. 7)
Novelty level of the innovation
Unknown
Please specify novelty level of the innovation
Unknown
Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Please specify Replicability/Transferability
Unknown
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Water management and blue areas
Improved water quality
Enhanced protection and restoration of freshwater ecosystems
Green space and habitat
Increase in protected green space areas
Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
Description of environmental benefits
Green Space/ Habitats:
1187 acres of land has been protected, which include habitats for important birds and animals of the area, vegetated areas (Ref. 2)

Water Quality:
Reduction of polluted runoff into the lake (Ref. 1)
Economic impacts
Unknown
Description of economic benefits
Unknown
Social and cultural impacts
Social justice and cohesion
Improved access to urban green space
Health and wellbeing
Gain in activities for recreation and exercise
Cultural heritage and sense of place
Protection of natural heritage
Protection of historic and cultural landscape / infrastructure
Education
Increased support for education and scientific research
Description of social and cultural benefits
Green Access/ Recreation:
Development of new hiking trails and pedestrian/cycle paths, designed to the greatest possible extent to satisfy accessibility requirements for those with reduced mobility (Ref. 1)

Natural/ Cultural Heritage:
1187 acres of land has been protected, which includes vegetated areas as well as culturally important areas (Ref. 2)
Type of reported impacts
Achieved impacts
Indicators
Area of land protected [acres] (Ref. 2)
Environmental, social and economic impacts
Water management (SDG 6)
Green space, habitats and biodiversity (SDG 15)
Health and well-being (SDG 3)
Cultural heritage and cultural diversity
Analysis of specific impact categories
Job creation: The NBS created ...
No information available
Environmental justice: The implementation of the NBS project resulted in ...
Improved access to green and/or blue spaces
Negative impacts: Did the project cause any problems or concerns?
No information was found regarding negative impacts of the project
COVID-19 pandemic
Increased use of areas outside of the city, including nature reserves and environmental parks. The head of the organization, Friends of the Østensjø Lake, has seen an increase in animal cruelty (especially in throwing stones at birds) in the area, and believes the corona situation may have made the situation worse. (Ref. 12)
Methods of impact monitoring
Process of recording NBS impacts
No evidence in public records
Methods used to evaluate the impacts of NBS
Unknown
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Unknown
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
Yes
Link to monitoring/evaluation reports
https://www.oslo.kommune.no/getfile.php/13350714-1574663655/Tjenester%20og%20ti…
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No
Impact assessment mechanism
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No
Citizen involvement
Citizens involvement in assessment/evaluation
Yes
Mode(s) of citizen involvement in evaluation/assessment
Focus Group
Submission of monitoring data (citizen observation)
Citizens involvement in the analysis of the assessment/evaluation
Yes
Please specify
Friends of Østensjø Lake have been gathering underlying data and useful material to the manuals for management of the Environmental Park (Ref. 6),
Follow-up to the evaluation / assessment
Unknown
References
Web links relevant to the intervention
Digital newspaper Sothøna, by Friends of Østensjø Lake
Building Plan for Østensjø Environmental Park, Oslo municipality
Ref. 1 Website of Friends of Østensjø Lake and regulations on the Environmental…
Ref. 2 Management Plan for the Østensjø area Environmental Park, Part 1 Status …
Ref. 5 City of Oslo - Plans and Programmes
Ref. 7 Management Plan for the Østensjø area Environmental Park, Part 3 - Manag…
Ref. 8 Greenplan for Oslo Municipal Strategy Plan for the Blue-green structure …
Ref. 9 Consultation draft: management plan for the Østensjø Lake area environme…
Ref. 10 Østensjø Lake
Ref. 11 Friends of Østensjø Lake
Ref. 12 The friends of the Østensjø Lake receive reports of animal cruelty ever…
Documents relevant to the intervention
Attachment Size
Ref. 3 Friends of Østensjø Lake 2017 Report (669.99 KB) 669.99 KB
Ref. 6 Oslo River Forum Yearly Meeting 2003 (73.79 KB) 73.79 KB
List of references
1. Friends of Østensjø Lake/Østensjøvannets Venner (2002). Reguleingsbestemmelser for Østensjøområdet Miljøpark, GNR./ BNR. 147/1, 147/30, 160/1, 160/12 MFL. Available at: http://www.ostensjovannet.no/vern/parkbestemmelser2003.html [Accessed: 28 October 2020].

2. The City of Oslo (2007a). Management Plan for the Østensjø area Environmental Park, Part 1 Statusreport/Forvaltningsplan for Østensjøområdet miljøpark. Del 1 Statusrapport natur og kulturkvaliteter. Friluftsetaten. Available at: https://felles.naturbase.no/api/dokument/hent/19859.PDF [Accessed: 28 October 2020].

3. Friends of Østensjø Lake (2017). Yearly Report 18-03-2016 to 29-03-2017. Yearly meeting 29th March 2017/Årsmøte 29 mars 2017. [Document provided].

4. The City of Oslo (2017a). Quiet Urban Areas. [Not available in 2020].

5. The City of Oslo (2017b). Plans and Programmes. Available at: https://www.oslo.kommune.no/english/politics-and-administration/green-oslo/plans-and-programmes/ [Accessed: 28 October 2020].

6. Oslo River Forum/ Oslo Elveforum (2003). Yearly Meeting 2003. Årsmelding 2003. [Document provided].

7. The City of Oslo (2007b). Management Plan for the Østensjø area Environmental Park, Part 3 - Managementplan/Forvaltningsplan for Østensjøområdet miljøpark, Del 3 Skjøtselplan. Friluftsetaten. Available at: https://felles.naturbase.no/api/dokument/hent/19898.PDF [Accessed: 28 October 2020].

8. The City of Oslo (2007c). Greenplan for Oslo Municipal Strategy Plan for the Blue-green structure in the Building Zone of Oslo. Grøntplan for Oslo Kommunedelplan for den blågrønne strukturen i Oslos byggesone. Saksnr. 2007 11655, Planning- and Building Agency/Plan-& Bygningsetaten. Available at: https://folkeaksjonen.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/2009grontplanenforslaghoeringsdokument.pdf [Accessed: 28 October 2020].

9. The City of Oslo (2020). Consultation draft: management plan for the Østensjø Lake area environmental park 2020–2030. Høringsutkast: forvaltningsplan for Østensjøområdet miljøpark 2020–2030. Available at: https://www.oslo.kommune.no/etater-foretak-og-ombud/bymiljoetaten/kunngjoringer/horingsutkast-forvaltningsplan-for-ostensjoomradet-miljopark-2020-2030 [Accessed: 28 October 2020].

10. Pihl,R. (2020). Østensjø Lake. Østensjøvannet. STORE NORSKE LEKSIKON. Available at: https://snl.no/%C3%98stensj%C3%B8vannet [Accessed: 28 October 2020].

11. Oslo River Forum. (2013). Friends of Østensjø Lake. Østensjøvannets Venner. Available at: https://www.osloelveforum.org/ostensjovannets-venner/ [Accessed: 28 October 2020].

12. Ånestad, A. (2020). The friends of the Østensjø Lake receive reports of animal cruelty every day. Østensjøvannets venner får meldinger om dyreplageri hver dag. Dagsavisen. Available at: https://www.dagsavisen.no/oslo/ostensjovannets-venner-far-meldinger-om-dyreplageri-hver-dag-1.1742513 [Accessed: 28 October 2020].
Comments and notes
Comments
Data access was hard, and no proper document solely aimed for the Environmental Park and its purpose itself was found, except for management plans and status reports from the municipality of Oslo. There is however substantial data to be found from Friends of Østensjø Lake and their digital newspaper Sothøna.
Additional insights
The environmental park continues to have ongoing management, as outlined in the 2007-2019 management plan; and as of February 2020, the municipality is in the process of preparing the management plan for 2020-2030. (Ref. 9)

section 4:
Green and blue-green infrastructure is central in several policies, strategies and plans of Oslo municipality, but they are not always specifically GI/BI/NBS plans.
Oslo is a very progressive city when it comes to climate change adaption and sustainability. However, no specific city network focused on climate change was found, but their work on climate change adaption is rather embedded in visions and strategies of most businesses/agencies/networks and projects
Oslo municipality has several visions and strategies related to GI/BI such as the Climate and Energy Strategy for Oslo; Urban Ecology Program 2011-2026; The Urban Development of Oslo & Climate Change Adaptation Strategy for the City of Oslo (Ref. 5). However none of these were specifically mentioned as an enabler for the Environmental Park.
section 5: There are many Environmental parks in Oslo, however each of them are unique, and no park has in this case been referred to as acting as inspiration to this particular park.
Pictures of the NBS
/sites/default/files/nbs/images/fra-tallberget-img_3921.jpg
/sites/default/files/nbs/images/ostensjoomradetmiljopark.png
Public Images
Østensjøvannet
Source: Ref. 11