Academic career

He was born in Bergen

Bergen

Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....

 as a son of Einar Norberg Johansen (1900–1959) and Hjørdis Randulff (1912–1975). he changed his last name from Johansen to Ryvarden in 1956. In 1961 he married teacher Ingbjørg Alise Eia Barstad.

He finished

Examen artium

Examen artium was the name of the academic certification conferred in Denmark and Norway, qualifying the student for admission to university studies. Examen artium was originally introduced as the entrance exam of the University of Copenhagen in 1630...

 his secondary education at Berg in 1954 and took basic military education from 1957 to 1958. He studied chemistry

Chemistry

Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....

 at the Norwegian Institute of Technology

Norwegian Institute of Technology

The Norwegian Institute of Technology, known by its Norwegian abbrevation NTH was a science institute in Trondheim, Norway. It was established in 1910, and existed as an independent technical university for 85 years, after which it was merged into the University of Trondheim as an independent...

. In 1961 he ran for election as chairman of Student Society in Trondheim, albeit unsuccessfully. He eventually graduated with the siv.ing.

Sivilingeniør

Sivilingeniør used to be a Norwegian university degree protected by Norwegian law issued to graduates from technical universities. To qualify for the title, you had to follow a structured study programme in technology and natural sciences of 4,5 - 5 years duration at a Norwegian university or...

 degree in 1963, and later majored in botany

Botany

Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...

 at the University of Oslo

University of Oslo

The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...

, taking a cand.real. degree. He also studied in London from 1971 to 1972, a stay that sparked his interest in mycology.

Ryvarden conducted field work in about eighty countries, mostly in a tropical environment. He was employed as research assistant

Research assistant

A research assistant is a researcher employed, often on a temporary contract, by a university or a research institute, for the purpose of assisting in academic research...

 at the Norwegian Institute of Technology from 1965 to 1966, research fellow

Research fellow

The title of research fellow is used to denote a research position at a university or similar institution, usually for academic staff or faculty members. A research fellow may act either as an independent investigator or under the supervision of a principal investigator...

 at the University of Oslo from 1966 to 1972 and then associate professor. He was promoted to professor at the University of Oslo in 1992, and served until 2002. He is currently a professor emeritus. By the time of his seventieth birthday, Ryvarden had published about 180 adacemic works.

He has chaired the Norwegian Botanical Association

Norwegian Botanical Association

The Norwegian Botanical Association is an association for botany founded in 1935. It has approximately 1,500 members in Norway and twelve daughter associations. It publishes the botanical journal Blyttia four times a year. It also maintains an online plant photo archive....

. He has been an editorial board member of the journals Neotropica, Plant Systematics and Evolution and Mycological Progress, and a council member of the Research Council of Norway department for sciences.

Popular and organizational contributions

Ryvarden was also noted for his contributions in popular science

Popular science

Popular science, sometimes called literature of science, is interpretation of science intended for a general audience. While science journalism focuses on recent scientific developments, popular science is broad-ranging, often written by scientists as well as journalists, and is presented in many...

, even writing for children. For this, some criticized him for simplifying the subject—Ryvarden replied that one should "not take oneself too solemnly". His main work in the children's category was Norsk naturleksikon for barn, a twelve-volume natural science encyclopedia for children. Other popular works include the 1983 Norges nasjonalparker, describing the national parks of Norway, and Norges isbreer, co-published with Bjørn Wold in 1991, about the glaciers of Norway. Together with Per Roger Lauritzen he published Fjellnorge (2001), describing the mountains of Norway

Mountain ranges of Norway

The geography of Norway is dominated by vast mountain ranges broken up by valleys and fjords. Less than 10% of the country's area is arable, and the rest is mountainous. Glaciers are the major cause for erosion, so terrain in Norwegian mountains consists of plateaus and lakes with peaks...

, and KystNorge (2006) about coastal Norway. Both works spanned three volumes. Ryvarden also wrote guides on mushrooms, berries, herbs and fauna.

Ryvarden was a member of the board from 1972 to 1985, and deputy leader since 1982, of the Norwegian Mountain Touring Association

Norwegian Mountain Touring Association

The Norwegian Trekking Association is a Norwegian association which maintains mountain trails and cabins in Norway. The association was founded on 21 January 1868 with the scope "to help and develop tourism in this country". Today the goal is to work for simple, secure and environmentally friendly...

. He was a prolific writer for the Norwegian Mountain Touring Association Yearbook as well as their magazine Fjell og Vidde. He was also a member of the board of Greenpeace Norway

Greenpeace

Greenpeace is a non-governmental environmental organization with offices in over forty countries and with an international coordinating body in Amsterdam, The Netherlands...

 for a year and a half, but resigned from this position in 1992 due to disagreements over the organization's strategy and priorities. Ryvarden especially criticized their perceived bias towards saving an amount of Minke Whale

Minke Whale

Minke whale , or lesser rorqual, is a name given to two species of marine mammal belonging to a clade within the suborder of baleen whales. The minke whale was given its official designation by Lacepède in 1804, who described a dwarf form of Balænoptera acuto-rostrata...

. He cited that all species are equally important, and also reminded that there were other, pressing environmental issues in Norway at that time. As Ryvarden left, there were no longer any Norwegian citizens on the board of Greenpeace Norway. Later, Ryvarden publicly supported Bjørn Økern, who was fired as leader of Greenpeace Norway in 1992.

Recognition

He is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters

Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters

The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway.-History:The University of Oslo was established in 1811. The idea of a learned society in Christiania surfaced for the first time in 1841. The city of Throndhjem had no university, but had a learned...

. Ryvarden holds an honorary degree

Honorary degree

An honorary degree or a degree honoris causa is an academic degree for which a university has waived the usual requirements, such as matriculation, residence, study, and the passing of examinations...

 at the University of Gothenburg, and since 2008 the National University of Córdoba

National University of Córdoba

The National University of Córdoba, , is the oldest university in Argentina, and one of the oldest in the Americas. It is located in Córdoba, the capital of Córdoba Province. Since the early 20th century it has been the second largest university in the country in terms of the number of students,...

. He is also an honorary member of the Mycological Society of America

Mycological Society of America

The Mycological Society of America is a learned society that serves as the professional organization of mycologists in the U.S. and Canada. It was founded in 1932...

.

He won the Brage Prize

Brage Prize

The Brage Prize is a Norwegian literature prize that is awarded annually by the Norwegian Book Prize foundation...

 in 1998 in the category non-fiction, for the book Er det liv, er det sopp which he co-wrote with Klaus Høiland. In 2002 he was given the University of Oslo Research Promotion Award. In 2007, Ryvarden and Lauritzen were awarded the Norwegian Outdoors Prize for their books. He has also received a prize from the Ministry of the Environment

Norwegian Ministry of the Environment

The Royal Norwegian Ministry of the Environment is a Norwegian ministry established in 1972. The ministry is responsible for environmental issues in Norway. It is led by the Minister of the Environment, Erik Solheim...

.