The Ministry for the Environment and Natural Resources, which oversees environmental affairs, intends to turn the Kerlingarfjöll area in the central highlands into a conservation area, reports Fréttablaðið newspaper.
By doing so, the Ministry hopes to limit the negative impact of increased tourism on the environment.
The Kerlingarfjöll area is a 1,477 metre (4,846 ft) high mountain range located in Iceland’s rugged central highlands. The area is part of a massive tuya volcano system and used to be a popular summer ski resort from the early 1960’s and until the late 1990’s.
The area boasts a number of fantastic hiking routs, making it an ideal spot for outdoor activities. The name, Kerlingarfjöll, means Old Woman’s Mountains – the “kerling”, a large bolder found in the area, is believed to have been a troll who was turned into stone during daylight.
A survey conducted in spring 2015 reavealed that the majority of Icelanders support turning the entire central highlands into a national park.The survey showed that 61.4 percent of Icelanders supported the idea.
A number of organisations have also tried to persuade the Icelandic government to save the highlands from any future developments. These efforts might finally be bearing fruits.
A call for nature conservation on May 1st. #austurvöllur
A video posted by Iceland Mag (@icelandmag) on
May 1, 2014 at 7:25am PDT
The Ministry for the Environment and Natural Resources, which oversees environmental affairs, intends to turn the Kerlingarfjöll area in the central highlands into a conservation area, reports Fréttablaðið newspaper.
By doing so, the Ministry hopes to limit the negative impact of increased tourism on the environment.
The Kerlingarfjöll area is a 1,477 metre (4,846 ft) high mountain range located in Iceland’s rugged central highlands. The area is part of a massive tuya volcano system and used to be a popular summer ski resort from the early 1960’s and until the late 1990’s.
The area boasts a number of fantastic hiking routs, making it an ideal spot for outdoor activities. The name, Kerlingarfjöll, means Old Woman’s Mountains – the “kerling”, a large bolder found in the area, is believed to have been a troll who was turned into stone during daylight.
A survey conducted in spring 2015 reavealed that the majority of Icelanders support turning the entire central highlands into a national park.The survey showed that 61.4 percent of Icelanders supported the idea.
A number of organisations have also tried to persuade the Icelandic government to save the highlands from any future developments. These efforts might finally be bearing fruits.
A call for nature conservation on May 1st. #austurvöllur
A video posted by Iceland Mag (@icelandmag) on
May 1, 2014 at 7:25am PDT
