Restoring a former military training area to nature – NINA
Steps for Nature podcast · Episode 3
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Welcome to the third episode of Steps for Nature! In this episode, Dagmar from NINA walks us through the Hjerkinn PRO project and what it takes to restore mountain ecosystems after decades of military use. The conversation highlights the role of collaboration across disciplines, as well as the importance of long-term thinking and adaptability in large-scale restoration projects.
The Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) is Norway’s leading institution for applied ecological research, working at the intersection of nature and society to develop knowledge and solutions across public and private sectors. Its work brings together a wide range of disciplines, from natural and social sciences to economics, data modelling, and ecology.
“And when we started this [green training model], we realised very quickly that this interaction and transfer of knowledge was both ways—that we learned from them and they learned from us—and during the project, we realised that we were totally dependent on each other.” – Dagmar Hagen
Photo: Svein Solli/
Norwegian Defence Estate Agency
Led by the Norwegian Defence Estates Agency, with NINA providing research and consultancy, Hjerkinn PRO focused on restoring the former Hjerkinn military training area in the Dovrefjell region of Norway. This involved large-scale restoration work carried out in close collaboration between contractors and ecologists, including an innovative “green training” approach to support shared learning in the field. As part of the restoration, roads, buildings, bridges, and other infrastructure were removed to help restore natural landscapes and improve habitat conditions for species such as wild reindeer.
