Exploring the protected areas

Several areas within the Vega Archipelago World Heritage site are protected:

• Lånan/Skjærvær, Eidemsliene, Holandsosen, and Kjellerhaugvatnet Nature Reserves.
• Muddvær, Lånan, Flovær, and Skjærvær Bird Sanctuaries
• Hysvær/Søla Protected Landscape Area with wildlife protection

These protections secure some of the country's most important breeding, moulting, and wintering areas for seabirds, as well as the preservation of the cultural landscape and flora. The bird sanctuaries are places where eider duck tenders live during the summer to maintain the old tradition of tending eider ducks. The rules vary between the protected areas, and as a visitor, you are responsible for familiarizing yourself with the applicable rules for the area you are visiting.

Here are some of the rules:

• All movement within the protected areas must respect nature's conditions. According to the protection regulations, animal and bird life, including nesting sites, is protected against damage, destruction, and unnecessary disturbance.
• Landing is prohibited in Lånan/Skjærvær Nature Reserve from April 15 to July 31 (i.e., the uninhabited islands around Lånan, Flovær, and Skjærvær).
• In the nature reserves of Holandsosen, Kjellerhaugvatnet, and Lånan/Skjærvær, as well as the Søla/Hysvær Protected Landscape Area, dogs must be kept on a leash year-round.
• In the bird sanctuaries of Lånan, Flovær, Skjærvær, and Muddvær, dogs and cats must not be let loose in the protected area from April 15 to July 31. Leash laws for dogs apply throughout Vega municipality from April 1 to October 1, except where rules are stricter, such as in the nature reserves.
• Dog owners are encouraged not to bring dogs ashore in both the bird sanctuaries and other islands in the Vega Archipelago during the nesting season from April 15 to July 31.
• It is not permitted to pitch tents in the protected areas of Muddvær, Skjærvær, Flovær, Lånan, Holandsosen, and Kjellerhaugvatnet, as well as all islands within the Lånan/Skjærvær Nature Reserve.
• The use of jet skis, drones, and surfboards is not permitted in the protected areas of Vega.

Read more about the protected areas here: https://www.visitvega.no/no/tur-i-vern

Protection Regulations

Below you will find conservation regulations for each protected area. The links lead to lovdata.no.

• Eidemsliene
• Holandsosen
• Hysvær/Søla Protected Landscape Area
• Kjellerhaugvatnet
• Lånan/Skjærvær Nature Reserve
• Lånan/Skjærvær Bird Sanctuary
• Muddværet Bird Sanctuary‍