Seacology Heads North: Report from Iceland
Though the majority of Seacology's projects have been initiated on tropical islands, in the past few years our gaze has shifted toward the numerous islands north of the Equator as part of Seacology's mission to preserve the environments and cultures of islands throughout the world. Seacology's first northern island project was launched in Alaska's remote Pribilof Islands in 1999. Since that time, Seacology's board has approved a project on Whidbey Island in Washington State, and staff is currently researching possible projects in Southeast Alaska, the islands of the Canadian Maritime Provinces and Eastern Russia/Siberia. In December 2000 we added an exciting new island location to our project portfolio: Iceland.
Iceland, with a population of 275,000, is a remarkable country of active and dormant volcanoes, glaciers, fjords, rivers and waterfalls. Iceland boasts both the largest glacier in Europe and the largest lava bed on earth. Just south of the Arctic Circle, the country's climate is moderated somewhat by the influence of the Gulf Stream. However, vegetation is sparse, with lichens and mosses predominating. Trees - primarily birch and willow - grow in Iceland, but are dwarfed by the difficult growing conditions.
Over 90 percent of Icelandic homes are heated with hot springs, and hydropower provides energy for the entire country. As a result, Iceland has always boasted exceptionally clean air; however, population growth in the Reykjavik area and the accompanying increase in cars are causing the country's first air pollution problem.
The majority of modern-day Icelanders are descendants of the country's first settlers, Vikings who arrived some 11 centuries ago. The Icelandic language has changed very little since that time; Icelandic and Faroese are the only Scandinavian languages to have kept the complicated inflection system of Old Norse spoken during the Viking age. Iceland is perhaps the ultimate island in one respect: Island is how the country's name is spelled in Icelandic.
Iceland is now a thoroughly modern country in many respects, but its isolation and slow dustrialization have kept most of the environmental problems facing other islands at bay until recently. An emerging environmental movement is now addressing issues such as mining, pollution, and habitat loss due to hydropower projects. In October 2000, Seacology program officer Karen Peterson traveled to Iceland to meet with leaders of the country's environmental organizations, as well as government officials, educators and farmers. Seacology island advisory board member Ragnhildur Sigurdardottir, Ph.D. had already informed Iceland's environmental decision-makers about Seacology's mission to preserve island environments and cultures.
At the December 2000 meeting of Seacology's board of directors, two projects in Iceland were approved. By funding these two important initiatives, one to help stem the tide of abandonment of remote fishing and farming communities, the other to provide optical equipment for schoolchildren for the study one of the world's most unique and threatened lake systems, Seacology is showing support for Iceland's emerging environmental movement. "Environmental awareness is very new to Iceland," says Sigurdardottir. "We have a chance to preserve what makes Iceland remarkable. Now the general public is getting interested and involved in environmental issues, and Seacology's projects will help to draw attention to the critical issues of habitat protection and cultural conservation in Iceland."
