Svandís Svavarsdóttir umhverfisráðherra flutti eftirfarandi ávarp við upphaf norrænnar ráðstefnu um landslagsmál sem haldin var á Hótel Selfossi 7. júní 2012. 

Dear friends,

It is a pleasure for me to address this Nordic seminar, which will discuss various ways to protect landscapes and manage activities that affect landscapes. I welcome all of you here in Selfoss, whether you have travelled a long distance or not.

I am not least glad to welcome here Madame Maguelonne Déjeant-Pons from the European Landscape Convention, who will address the seminar directly after me. The government decided three years ago that Iceland should join the Landscape Convention. This is now being formalized. The Permanent Representative of Iceland to the Council of Europe will sign the Convention in Strasbourg on 28 June, and Iceland will then complete the ratification formalities.

This seminar will be a substantive forum for interesting presentations and discussions on a variety of landscape topics. In light of our signature of the Landscape Convention this month, I see this also as the starting point of Iceland‘s active participation in a broader Nordic and European cooperation in landscape protection. Iceland‘s accession to the European Landscape Convention adds a new dimension to nature protection in our country, and will strengthen our efforts in conservation work. Our signature completes the accession of all five Nordic States to the Convention.

Landscape is the most obvious component in nature conservation, but perhaps also the most complex. The first conservation areas were often places which were simply seen as scenic and beautiful. Later we have taken a more scientific approach, and taken guidance from biology, ecology and geology in choosing sites. We protect habitats of rare and important species, rich ecosystems and geographical features such as rock formations or waterfalls. Of course, the sites which are important by scientific criteria often happen to be the same ones that we find attractive to visit. So perhaps we do not need to think much about such a vague and unscientific concept as „landscape“ in our nature conservation work?

Of course we do, as you here know well. Landscape needs to be included in conservation criteria. This calls for a conversation between different fields – ecology, geology, geography, landscape architecture and aesthetics, to name a few. It also helps to include the public. People‘s views of natural beauty has a place in nature conservation work in a democratic society.

We in Iceland have much to learn from the experience and methods used in other countries. The European Landscape Convention is crucial in that regard. It offers guidelines and principles for landscape protection, and a forum to discuss ideas and exchange views and practices. Most of Europe is densely populated and the human imprint on the landscape is clearly visible. So-called cultural landscapes have been defined as distinct geographical areas representing the combined work of nature and of man. UNESCO has recognized a number of such sites on its World Heritage list, from the rice terraces of East Asia to the gentle farmlands of south Öland in Sweden, where medieval land division laws have shaped the villages, fields and general layout of the land.

Iceland has a cultural site on the UNESCO list in Þingvellir, where the parliament met in a unique natural theatre of cliffs and fissures, where two vast geological plates are being torn apart. Þingvellir was Iceland‘s first national park, mostly because of its historical significance, although the natural beauty and uniqueness of Þingvellir has always been recognized.

Cultural features have, however, not featured highly in nature conservation laws and work in Iceland. Iceland has, along with the northernmost part of Scandinavia, one of the few remaining large wilderness areas left in Europe. Such areas are becoming increasingly rare. The number of tourists to Iceland has grown fast in recent years, and all studies show that „nature“ is the prime attraction. Iceland is largely associated with raw nature and wilderness areas where nature reigns supreme. Iceland is also admired for the variety of geological features, such as volcanoes, geysers, glaciers and waterfalls, which bear witness to the internal and external forces that shape the Earth.

It is our duty to conserve this unique nature, its features and its landscapes. In a Master Plan for hydro and geothermal energy resources in Iceland, which is now being discussed by Parliament, much work was done to classify and evaluate landscape features and types in Iceland. This work was of great importance, because it is difficult for Icelanders to simply import criteria and standards from other countries. Iceland has some unique landscape features. Nowhere else on the planet can you see an ocean ridge above water. Nowhere else is there a greater concentration and variety of volcanic features. Parts of Iceland may look familiar to our Nordic neighbours, but some landscapes have been compared to the Moon or Mars. We now do have an academic and legislative basis to deal with landscape in planning and policy making. This helps us to contribute to the European and global discussion on landscape protection, as well as to learn from others.

The studies made for the Master Plan showed that people tend to have different perceptions of landscapes and its attractiveness and conservation value. Some valued verdant and gentle landscapes, while others ranked highest landscapes that are raw and forbidding. This shows how complicated and fascinating the topic of landscape is. Landscape is out there, but it is also a perception in our minds. It needs to be discussed not only by scientists, but by artists, architects and the general public. Icelandic painting and poetry is infused with praise of landscapes. We identify with Fjallkonan, the Mountain Woman, as a symbolic figure to embody the land and our love of the land, and our national holiday is not complete without an address by Fjallkonan. The appreciation of landscapes is interwoven with our national identity and sense of ourselves.

Ladies and gentlemen,

As we are here in the Selfoss, it is fitting to end by citing one of the best known landscape reference in the Saga of Njál, the crown jewel in our medieval literature, which takes place here in the Southland. When the tragic hero Gunnar is outlawed from Iceland he rides his horse toward a ship that will carry him abroad. He decides to take a last look at his farmland in Fljótshlíð and remarks how beautiful the hillsides are, with rich fields and harvested pastures – and then decides that he cannot tear himself away from this cultural landscape. He is then duly killed by his enemies as he breaks the law by returning home.

This may be cited as a proof that Iceland has landscapes to die for. It also shows that our legislative priorities have changed for the better in the last thousand years. We put less emphasis on hunting outlaws and more emphasis on protecting landscapes. I wish you all the best in your work here in the coming days, and repeat my earlier statement that this seminar marks a renewed discussion and effort on landscape protection in Iceland.

Thank you,