General
The objective of wetland restoration is to reestablish the area's hydrological regime. We project environmental recovery and a positive greenhouse gas emission balance in subsequent years.
Watersheds constitute a substantial portion of the Earth's carbon stores, providing critical habitat for diverse flora and fauna, enhancing global water management, and stabilising water flows to mitigate flood risk, hydrological variability, and erosion.
Wetland restoration projects can also enhance recreational opportunities, such as birdwatching and fishing.
Supporting data
The application requires the following supporting documentation:
Estate name and land ownership identification number.
Owner information.
An aerial view of the property.
When an application is accepted
More information
Iðunn Hauksdóttir, West Iceland and West Fjords Regional Land Reclamation Advisor and Wetlands Restoration Project Manager (EHV), leads the wetlands restoration project. On behalf of Land and Forest Iceland, her responsibilities encompass enforcing Icelandic land reclamation policy through targeted measures focused on vegetation and soil conservation. These responsibilities include planning, supervising, and monitoring land reclamation projects; gathering and analysing data on vegetation and soil conditions; ensuring compliance with land reclamation legislation; documenting project activities; and evaluating project outcomes. Furthermore, she provides training, consultation, and information dissemination of the regional office projects.
Sunna Áskelsdóttir conducts research and development on wetland restoration on behalf of Land and Forest Iceland, focusing on wetland ecosystem monitoring, particularly greenhouse gas emissions and sequestration. She oversees the development of methods for evaluating wetland restoration outcomes and leads a monitoring project to acquire data on wetland emissions and sequestration for Icelandic climate accounting.
Contractor's guidelines
Below you will find a downloadable PDF file containing best practice guidelines for contractors undertaking wetland restoration projects (in Icelandic).
Challenges and opportunities in wetland restoration - Report
In 2022, Environmental scientist Finnur Ricart Andrason conducted a comprehensive analysis of the challenges and opportunities associated with wetland restoration in Iceland, incorporating stakeholder interviews from the agricultural sector. Subsequently, ten proposals were developed to enhance landowner participation in Icelandic wetland restoration initiatives.
Service provider
Land and Forest Iceland