Abstract |
Wilderness protection in Iceland dates back to the Nature Conservation Act of 1999 (Johannsdottir, 2016). However, to date no areas in Iceland have been formally protected as wilderness per se, partly because the identification of such areas has so far been very rudimentary. Wilderness areas in Iceland have thus up until now mainly enjoyed protection if present within the boundaries of national parks or other protected areas, in particular withinVatnajokull National Park which covers an area of 13,500 km2,, mostly in the Central Highland. According to the working criteria adopted by government agencies, the largest potential wilderness areas in Iceland are located in the Central Highland, an uninhabited region in the middle of the island which covers roughly 40.000 km2 or 40% of its total land area. |