Natural Wonders - Iceland - page 738

The Impact of Tourism on Nature
A million visitors per year are now clamouring for their dream holiday in Iceland's vast
natural playground. And guess what? This boom in visitor numbers is threatening the very
thing everyone is travelling to see: Iceland's unspoilt nature.
Plans for a Nature Pass
There is a nascent government proposal to introduce a one-off fee (perhaps an arrival tax
payable at the airport, or a nature pass you purchase depending on the length of your stay),
ensuring travellers contribute to the protection and maintenance of natural sites. It doesn't
seem like an unreasonable request - especially when one looks at it in the context of Ice-
land's tiny population, now hosting hordes of trekkers and buses full of holidaymakers
needing a car park, a toilet block, picnic tables, rubbish bins, improved signage, not to
mention rangers providing information and safety advice etc.
Stay tuned for developments - and don't be surprised to learn of a nature tax or pass in
some form, implemented for summer 2015. The pressure is on the authorities to find a
solution soon - in summer 2014 landowners controversially began charging visitors for ac-
cess to natural attractions on their property (formerly freely accessed sites such as Geysir
and Hverir), before courts ruled this unlawful.
Travel Safely, Tread Lightly
Here are a few tips on staying safe and eco-aware (and on the good side of locals):
Heed local warnings and advice No-one is trying to spoil your holiday - when a local
tells you that the your car isn't suitable for a particular road, or an area is off-limits because
of a sulphur-emitting eruption or fear of a glacial outburst flood, it's because they know
this country and what it's capable of.
Plan properly Check weather-forecast and road-condition websites. Pack a good map, the
appropriate gear, and common sense. No hiking in jeans, no attempting to cross rivers in
small cars, no striding out onto glaciers without proper guiding and equipment.
Respect nature Your country probably doesn't have subglacial volcanoes, geothermal
areas and vast lava fields. That's why you're visiting Iceland, no? So take care not to dam-
age it. If you've hired a 4WD, whatever you do, stick to marked trails; off-roading is illegal
and causes irreparable damage to the fragile landscape.