UNU-LRT Friendship Forest

For the last eight weeks the UNU-LRT fellows have stayed at the headquarters of the Soil Conservation Service of Iceland (SCSI) where they have worked on their research projects and got to know the work of SCSI. Before moving back to the headquarters of UNU-LRT, at the research campus of the Agricultural University of Iceland, they planted the first trees in a prospective UNU-LRT Friendship Forest, close to SCSI headquarters in South Iceland. Future UNU-LRT fellows will continue the tradition to plant trees in the area each year, and will have the opportunity to enjoy the trees as they grow. The fellows planted rowan trees (Sorbus aucuparia), a native species that grows in the birch woodlands and forests in Iceland.

At the event the Chair of the UNU-LRT Board and the Director of SCSI, Mr Sveinn Runolfsson, addressed the fellows and informed them about the history of the site chosen for the UNU-LRT Friendship Forest. The area was covered by sand and without vegetation about four decades ago, but was reclaimed successfully pursuant to the National Endowment Gift in 1974. The National Endowment Gift was based on a resolution by the Icelandic Parliament regarding land reclamation and land conservation commemorating 1100 years of settlement in the country. This resolution was passed unanimously by the Parliament at a celebratory session of the Parliament in summer 1974. 

The photo shows Haftamu Deribe Zenebe from Ethiopia planting a rowan tree with the other fellows. Photo: Áskell Þórisson.