Sustainable Uses of Icelandic Coastal Zones, Opportunities and Threats Ísafjörður 31.08. – 01.09. 2008

Nature Conservation at Coastal and Marine Areas

Guðríður Þorvarðardóttir Environment Agency of Iceland The importance of connecting land and sea in nature conservation

• The scope of the Nature Conservation Act applies in Iceland, within Icelandic territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. • The Act shall in no way affect the provisions of other Acts on the conservation, protection and hunting of wild fauna on land or at sea. • In addition to protection according to the NCA is e.g. special legislation for the protection of Breiðafjörður. Nature Conservation Strategy was introduced in the revised nature conservation act in 1999

The Minister for the Environment shall have a Nature Conservation Strategy drawn up for the entire country and submitted to the parliament, Althingi.

The strategy takes into account the idealogy of international conventions, like Biodiversity Convention, Bern Convention, Ramsar Convention etc.

The Environment Agency in consultation with the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, nature research centres and the nature conservation committees are responsible for the data collection. The following shall be included among the criteria for site selection

• they are the home of rare species or species in danger of extinction; • they are unusually rich in number of species or sensitive to disturbance; • they are necessary for maintenance of strong stocks of important species; • they have substantial scientific, social, economic or cultural value; surroundings of the region concerned. • they are important for the maintenance of natural evolutionary processes; • they have international nature conservation value; are characteristic for the natural surroundings of the region concerned. Icelandic examples

• Vestmannaeyjar – habitat protection. • Surtsey - new and revised declaration issued. • Breiðafjörður – protected by special law. • White chimneys – formation on the ocean floor. • The future – important habitats for spawning and geological formation on the ocean floor Alþingi’s / parliamentary decision

7 bird areas 2 plant areas 1 habitat (birch forest) 2 geological formations enlarging of 2 national parks Vestmannaeyjar proposed habitat reserve 19.6 km2

Reason for protection: Seascape, geology, abundant birdlife e.g. fulmar, kittiwake, guillemot, razorbill, puffin, Manx Existing protection: Regulation shearwater, storm petrel, Leach’s no. 148, 5 th of March 1998, petrel, gannet. fishing activities using towed International importance IBA-028 bottom gear is not permitted. www.landvernd.is www.bsc-eoc.org

Manx Shearwater Leach’s Stormpetrel Atlantic Puffin (Fratercula (Puffinus puffinus) (Oceanodroma leucorhoa) arctica) 7-10 thousand 50-100 thousand 1 million breeding pairs, breeding pairs, breeding pairs, 40 % of Icelandic 100 % of Icelandic > 95 % of Icelandic population, population, population, 16-20% of European 3 % of European 13-29% % of European population, population, population, Iceland - responsibility Red listed - VU, Red listed - VU, Red listed - VU, SPEC species, SPEC species, SPEC species, Bern-appendix II. Bern-appendix II Bern-appendix III. Provision on habitat protection. Surtsey Nature Reserve From 19. May 1965

Boundaries of the nature reserve were expanded and new and revised declaration issued, 27. January 2006. Surtsey – WH site, 8. July 2008 The new declaration takes into account the volcanic system above and below sealevel. Breiðafjörður Landscape / Seascape. Protected by Special Act in 1995.

Areas with special protection within the area. • Flatey, 1975, 100 ha, off limit 15.04.-15.08. Gray Phalarope • Hrísey, 1977, 40 ha, off limit 15.04.-15.07. • Melrakkaey, 1972, 9 ha, off limit – special permition.

Special committee: 7 local governments, The Archaeological Heritage Agency of Iceland, The Institute of Natural History / local Institute of Natural History Breiðafjörður shallow bay, 50 km wide & 125 km long. Protected area 2870 km2

Flatey Oddbjarnarsker Skáleyjar Marine area, islands, mudflats, coastline. Emphasis on geological formations, biology and cultural heritage. The area supports about 50 of Icelands 70 regular breeding bird species. Internationally important staging site for brent goose and knot. Tradition landuse is permitted. Breiðafjörður - geology

• Old bedrock formed during rift volcanism in late Tertiary • Central volcanoes • Geothermal areas • Fossils • Ca 3000 islands • Ca 50% of Iceland’s intertidal area Breiðafjörður marine reserve – emphasis on cultural heritage Breiðafjörður - examples of economy and social connections with local communities.

Kelp cutting Tourism

Farming Commercial fishing In 2001 and in 2007 special formations on the ocean floor in Eyjafjörður were protected. Protection of marine environment now and in the future ?

The Ministry for the Environment has introduced in the report “Welfare for the Future 2002-2020” that more emphasis will be on protection of the marine environment, especially coral formations. What about volcanic ridges or other geological formation in the deep waters? Will we be connecting land-coast-sea-ocean floor and the water body in our conservation? Colourful corals habitats e.g. Lophelia south of Iceland, Reynis- & Hornarfjarðardjúp. High biological diversity.

Damaged coral habitats of Iceland’s south-east coast, Skaftárdjúp. Have we destroyed the spawning areas of important fish species that are of commercial value? Source: Friðun viðkvæmra hafsvæða, 2005 Volcanic landscape on the ocean floor, north of Iceland. With kind permission from Bryndís Brandsdóttir Science Institute, University of Iceland