Marine Protected Areas in Iceland, Assessment of Designation and Implementation

• Main Author: Eveline Bünter 1985-
• Other Authors: Háskóli Íslands
• Format: Thesis
• Language: English
• Published: 2022
• Subjects: Umhverfisfræði; Auðlindafræði; Verndun sjávar; Iceland
• Online Access: http://hdl.handle.net/1946/41336

Protected areas in marine spaces (MPAs) are the principal tool to maintain the health, functionality, and biodiversity of marine ecosystems. Over the last two decades, the implementation of various types of MPAs has accelerated all over the world. While Iceland has been successful in formally protecting about 25% of its terrestrial surface, with a protected area coverage of less than 1% it has failed to equitably conserve its ocean. Thus, Iceland fell short to fulfil its commitment regarding target 14.5 of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, that was to conserve at least 10% of coastal and marine areas by 2020. This thesis examines the development and implementation status of MPAs in Iceland and seeks to identify obstacles that impede the progress of designating protected areas in the ocean. Therefore, this study enquires the following questions: (1) what is the role of the ocean for Iceland and why does it need protection? (2) what is the status of MPA designations? (3) what national and international mechanisms are in place for designating MPAs, and what are the major obstacles? Data gathered from literature, international databases, as well as national laws and policies has been compiled and analysed to answer these questions. Firstly, this study reveals a very poor state of MPAs not only due to the small total size of protected surface area, but also regarding their insufficient effectiveness. Secondly, complicated governmental structures decelerate the designation process, which is further exacerbated by deficient activity of one of the most important key actors: the general public. Verndarsvæði í hafi (MPA) er eitt besta tækið til að viðhalda heilbrigðum, virkum og líffræðilegum fjölbreytileika vistkerfa hafsins. Undanfarna áratugi hefur verndarsvæðum í hafi fjölgað hratt um allan heim. Þó að það hafi hafi tekist formlega að vernda um 25% af yfirborði á þurrlendi á Íslandi er innan við 1% af hafsvæði Íslands undir formlegri verndun sem verndarsvæði í hafi. Ísland hefur því ekki staðið við ...