Some Problems of Wild Life Conservation in Iceland
It would appear that the natural hazards present in Iceland have little or no lasting effects on the fauna. Far more important are the threats introduced by man and his domestic stocks, though even here the effect has more significance in relation to the flora, rather than the fauna. Direct predatio...
| Published in: | Oryx |
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| Main Author: | |
| Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Cambridge University Press (CUP)
1962
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/s0030605300001836 https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0030605300001836 |
| Summary: | It would appear that the natural hazards present in Iceland have little or no lasting effects on the fauna. Far more important are the threats introduced by man and his domestic stocks, though even here the effect has more significance in relation to the flora, rather than the fauna. Direct predation does occur, and forms part of the economy, but one must presume that the present-day protection laws and conservation in Iceland seem to be adequate for most of the fauna and flora, the exceptions being the Harlequin and Barrow's Goldeneye at Myvatn. The difficulty seems to be not in giving legal protection by law, but in enforcing it. The cropping of marine mammals does not seem to have had any great effect on their numbers and one must assume that provided cropping does not increase, conservation measures must be adequate. It must be emphasized, however, that this is only a survey of the conditions existing to-day and a great deal of work must be done on the population dynamics, and a closer study of the effects of the particular physical forces mentioned must be made. It is hoped that through the auspices of the Anglo- Icelandic Field Research Group, and with the help of our colleagues in Iceland, there will be many facilities for future workers. |
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