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If hiring a 4WD vehicle, stick to marked trails; off-roading is illegal and causes irreparable damage to the delicate landscape.

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Nevertheless, pressing environmental concerns have forced a realisation among Icelanders that the continued existence of their pristine backyard is not an absolute birthright.

Check out the following websites for the latest updates:

Greenpeace (www.greenpeace.org)

Iceland Nature Conservation Association (www.inca.is)

International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) (www.ifaw.org)

International Whaling Commission (www.iwcoffice.org)

Kárahnjúkar Hydroelectric Project (www.karahnjukar.is)

Nature Watch (www.natturuvaktin.com/english.htm)

Ocean Alliance www.oceanalliance.org)

Saving Iceland (www.savingiceland.org)

WWF (www.panda.org/arctic)

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Plants and Animals of Iceland, by Benny Génsböl and Jon Feilberg, is an illustrated guide to all of Iceland’s flora and fauna, including birds, marine mammals and 220 species of plants.

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Whaling

Whale hunting has been a hot topic ever since the Icelandic government ignored the International Whaling Commission’s worldwide ban on commercial whaling in 1986. International pressure and direct action by conservationists forced Iceland to call a halt to its whaling activities in 1989. But by 2003 the country resumed whaling under the auspices of a scientific research program despite the global moratorium. In 2006 Iceland announced plans to resume commercial whaling, much to the consternation of environmentalists and conservationists worldwide. Members of Iceland’s tourism board were also strong objectors, stating that Iceland’s whale-watching industry generates significantly more money than whale hunting. Despite the surge in recent protests, sentiments about the whaling industry are not unanimous. Many believe that whaling is intrinsically linked to Iceland’s national identity; others remember when jobs at the whaling station put food on the dinner table. Sigursteinn Másson, Iceland’s spokesperson for IFAW, gives us his take on the whaling dilemma, Click here.

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Björk added ‘investment banker’ to her resume in early 2009 when she started the Björk Fund as a way of helping Iceland invest in green technology. She founded Nattura in 2008 to help support grassroots industries.

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Soil Erosion

One of Iceland’s most enduring environmental issues is soil erosion caused by high winds and overgrazing of sheep. Iceland was most likely deforested by overgrazing shortly after settlement, and today the sheep continue to chew vegetation down to the roots and expose the underlying soil to the forces of water and fierce winds. In parts of the country, particularly around Mývatn lake, results are dramatic, with formerly vegetated land reduced to barren wastes.

One measure used to tackle the problem was the introduction of the Nootka lupin (a purple-flowered plant from the west coast of North America) to help anchor and add nitrogen to the soil. The project has been a victim of its own success, however, revegetating vast tracts of land but now also affecting Iceland’s biodiversity. The lupin’s bitter taste means that grazing sheep will not feed on it, so it continues to spread its relatively tall foliage, blocking light for indigenous mosses, lichens and shrubs.

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WHALE TALES

At the start of summer in 2009, we had the opportunity to tag along with Sigursteinn Másson, spokesperson for IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) in Iceland, as he documented the late-night return of the season’s first successful whale hunt. Tied to the side of the boat were two dead fin whales being taken to the high-security station in Hvalfjörður for processing. Here’s what Sigursteinn had to say:

‘When asked “why is Iceland whaling?” there is no short answer. According to a Gallup poll in 2006, only 1.1% of Icelanders eats whale meat regularly, there are no foreign markets interested