Primary Industry

Industry
Environmental Services
Size
51-200 employees
Company Type
Government Agency

As of January 2024, the Soil Conservation Service of Iceland (Landgræðslan) and the Icelandic Forest Service (Skógræktin) merged to form “Land and Forest Iceland.”
The two agencies were for about 116 years leaders for ecosystem restoration, soil conservation, sustainability and forestry in Iceland. This work continues under new law of Land and Forest Iceland no. 66 2023.

Policy and vision for soil conservation and forestry until 2031 are available: “Land og líf Landgræðsluáætlun og landsáætlun í skógrækt. Stefna og framtíðarsýn í landgræðslu og skógrækt til ársins 2031” and our action plan: “Aðgerðaáætlun í landgræðslu og skógrækt 2022-2026”.

Our vision of the future and priorities until 2031 will be guided by the principle that the nation’s resources, which are contained in vegetation and soil, will be protected, restored, and strengthened and that their sustainable use will be guaranteed by following principles:

-The ecosystem condition and their biological diversity is consistent with land potential
-The use of forests, wetlands and other ecosystems is sustainable, and they have strong resilience against natural disasters and other disturbances
-The country’s ecosystems will store abundant amounts of carbon in soil and vegetation and play a key role in Iceland sequestering more carbon than it emits
-Increased land quality in forests and more flourishing ecosystems support improved quality of life, public health and increase the resilience of communities to environmental changes
-Healthy ecosystems support diverse and sustainable economic activities throughout the country

Our priorities are guided by five focus areas of our policy promoting:
-The protection, continuity and integrity of ecosystems based on ecosystem approach management
-Nature-based solutions to rectify climate issues consistent with international commitments
-Sustainable land use

We strive for excellence, respecting nature and working with people towards a sustainable future.