GRÓ LRT fellows visit restorations projects in the North of Iceland
Last week, the GRÓ LRT fellows went on a four-day excursion to Northern Iceland where they visited restoration sites and learned about how land conditions have been improved with innovative approaches.
The excursion started with a drive through the western highlands of Iceland, followed by visits to restoration sites in Skagafjörður and around Lake Mývatn. The fellows learned about the interesting experiment carried out at Hólasandur area north of Lake Mývatn, where blackwater is being used as a fertilizer, a project implemented by the Soil Conservation of Iceland in cooperation with the local municipality. On the last day, the fellows visited the lush Vaglaskógur Forest, which has been under the care and supervision of the Icelandic Forestry Service for over 100 years. Clear blue skies and exceptionally warm temperatures during the whole trip, made the excursion even more enjoyable.
Field excursions are an essential part of the GRÓ LRT six-moth training as they connect the classroom lectures to actual restoration- and degradation cases around Iceland. The excursions also give the fellows the opportunity to discuss challenges and successes in land restoration with local people working in different parts of the country, as well as with farmers and other land users.