Svalbard’s constitution contains provisions for the protection of the environment. The Svalbard Environmental Protection Act (No.79 ) was enacted on 15 June 2001. It contains measures relating to the protection of the environment; specifically, the purpose of this act is to preserve a virtually untouched environment in Svalbard with respect to continuous areas of wilderness, landscape, flora, fauna and cultural heritage. Within this framework, the Act allows for environmentally sound settlement, research and commercial activities. It was amended by the Act of 20 April 2012 No. 20 (in force from 1 July 2012 in accordance with the Royal Decree of 20 April 2012 No. 332).
For the purpose of this Act, the following definitions apply:
1. pollution: the introduction of solid matter, liquids or gasses to air, water or ground; noise and vibrations; as well as light and other radiation as decided by the environmental protection authorities, where such factors may cause damage or nuisance to the environment;
2. waste: discarded articles of personal property or substances. Surplus objects and substances from service industries, manufacturing industries and treatment plants, etc., are also considered to be waste, but not waste water or exhaust gasses;
3. harvesting: hunting, trapping and fishing;
4. flora: photosynthesising single-celled organisms, algae, lichens, fungi, mosses, ferns and vascular plants that naturally occur in the wild in Svalbard;
5. fauna: single-celled animals, invertebrates and vertebrates that naturally occur in the wild in Svalbard;
6. cultural heritage: all traces of human activity in the physical environment, including localities associated with historical events. A cultural environment is defined as any area where elements of the cultural heritage form part of a larger entity or context;
7. structures and sites: any element of the cultural heritage that is physically attached to the ground or associated with a specific locality;
8. movable historical object: any element of the cultural heritage that is not defined as a structure or site;
9. permanent resident: a person whose name is validly entered in Svalbard’s population register;
10. visitor: any person other than a permanent resident;
11. motor vehicle: engine-powered mode of transport, for use on or off roads;
12. motorized craft: aircraft, hovercraft, ships, boats and other craft propelled by engine power;
13. motor traffic: the use of motor vehicles or motorized craft;
14. activity: single-instance, recurring or continuous undertaking of a commercial or non-commercial nature;
15. head of undertaking: a person that directs an undertaking, or on whose account or in whose interest it is being operated.
