Iceland Land Restoration (Land and Forest Iceland)
Since 1907, Iceland's soil conservation agency, now Land and Forest Iceland, has worked with farmers to halt erosion and restore land (Government of Iceland).
Image: Zairon via Wikimedia Commons (Island am Rande des Hochlands, CC BY-SA 3.0).
Last reviewed: 2 sources cited
Iceland has fought erosion for more than a century, and its bare land is turning green again.
Iceland starts around 8,000 hectares of new revegetation and restoration projects every year (Government of Iceland).
Explain Like I'm 10
- Long ago, Iceland had more trees and soil.
- Cutting wood, sheep grazing, volcanoes and wind blew much of the soil away.
- Farmers and the government plant grass, birch and wetlands to hold the soil again.
The Five W's of Iceland's land restoration
Who
The Soil Conservation Service of Iceland, founded in 1907 and now part of Land and Forest Iceland, with farmers, NGOs and towns.
What
Seeding grasses, fertilising bare land, restoring wetlands and bringing back native woodlands.
When
From 1907 to today, about 8,000 hectares of new projects each year.
Why
About 39% of Iceland has considerable or extensive soil erosion (Government of Iceland).
Connected Solutions
- Carbfix Iceland turns CO₂ into stone.
Impact Statement
Government solution · active since 1907
A survey finds 45% of Iceland's land A community of living things and the place they live, like a reef or a forest, all depending on each other. Glossary in bad condition. Every year about 8,000 hectares of new revegetation and restoration begin to win them back (Government of Iceland).
Source: Government of Iceland, Soil conservation
For Further Information: Government of Iceland, Soil conservation
Iceland's soil conservation agency was founded in 1907 (Government of Iceland).
How This Saves People & the Planet
For People
Farmers and farmer groups work side by side with the agency on revegetation (Government of Iceland).
Source: Government of Iceland, Soil conservation
For Nature
Restored wetlands and natural birch woodlands bring life back to bare land (Government of Iceland).
Learn More About Iceland's Restoration
Want to go deeper? Land and Forest Iceland leads the work.
For Further InformationRelated Solutions
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