BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY IN ICELAND - Convention on Biological ...

Figure 8. Birch woodland mixed with willows in Skaftafell National Park, with thehighest peak in Iceland Hvannadalshnjúkur in the background.research into micro-organisms from geothermal areas and their geneticmaterial.Other recent Acts cover nature conservation as an integral part ofother activities, stressing that attention must be given to nature inother contexts as well, such as the new Act on Physical Planning andBuilding where it is clearly stated that the Act shall contribute to wiseand economic use of the land and its resources, ensure theconservation of nature and the cultural heritage and preventenvironmental damage and overexploitation, with sustainabledevelopment as one of its goals.The objective of the Fisheries Management Act is to promote theconservation and efficient utilisation of marine stocks and thus ensurestable employment and settlement in the country. It covers marineanimals and plants, harvested or likely to be harvested, withinIcelandic waters.The objective of the Act on Afforestation is to combatdeforestation by conserving and managing forest remnants in thecountry, and by encouraging afforestation where practicable. The goalof the Act on Soil Conservation is to combat soil erosion, destructionof the vegetation cover, and to reclaim eroded land. Both of these actswere adopted before the <strong>Convention</strong> and understandably do notmention conservation of biological diversity or emphasise reestablishingearlier or lost habitats or ecosystems. They are on theother hand both under revision and these issues will be considered inthat process.In 1997, the Icelandic Government adopted an Action Plan onSustainable Development in force until the end of 2000, following a29