Wetland restoration in Hafnarfjörður

Practical work on wetland restoration in Krýsuvík and Bleiksmýri began at the start of the week, covering an area of around sixty hectares. The work in Bleiksmýri was completed yesterday, and work in Krýsuvíkermýri begins today. The Wetland Fund has estimated, based on its calculations, that the works will sequester around 1,100 tonnes of carbon in the soil, equivalent to the annual emissions from 120 passenger cars. It is estimated that around 66% of greenhouse gas emissions in Iceland come from disturbed wetlands, making this a very important societal project.

The Environment and Operations Council approved the Wetlands Fund's request for a permit for wetland restoration in Krýsuvík at its meeting on 11 September. Restoration works have already begun and cover Krýsuvík Mere and Bleiksmýri. In Krýsuvík Mere, this involves a new project to restore the land to its former state. In Bleiksmýri, however, the work involves maintaining a previous restoration action carried out in 2016 under an agreement between Landgræðslan and the Municipality of Hafnarfjörður. Through an agreement between the Wetlands Fund and the Landgræðslan, responsibility for the project was transferred to the Wetlands Fund, which is also the implementing body for restoration in the area.

Part of the council's measures

This implementation is in line with the ideas and actions proposed in the Environmental and Natural Resource Policy of the City of Hafnarfjörður, which was approved by the City Council of Hafnarfjörður on 18 May 2018. The stated aim of the policy is to ensure all residents of Hafnarfjörður have a healthy and safe environment for living, playing and working, and it is to be taken into account in all the municipality's activities. The City of Hafnarfjörður therefore aims, among other things, to be at the forefront of sustainability and environmental matters, and to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the generation of waste. 

See the Environmental and Resource Policy of the City of Hafnarfjörður

^{Photograph accompanying the news story: Wetland Fund}