New Approaches to Modelling Wilderness Quality in Iceland
Much of Europe’s remaining wilderness areas are found in Iceland, yet few are formally protected despite ongoing threats from renewable energy exploitation and 4 × 4 usage. Robust and repeatable approaches are required to map wilderness landscape qualities in support of developing policy on designat...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-02-01
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| Series: | Land |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/2/446 |
| _version_ | 1797619884214976512 |
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| author | Steve Carver Sif Konráðsdóttir Snæbjörn Guðmundsson Ben Carver Oliver Kenyon |
| author_facet | Steve Carver Sif Konráðsdóttir Snæbjörn Guðmundsson Ben Carver Oliver Kenyon |
| author_sort | Steve Carver |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Much of Europe’s remaining wilderness areas are found in Iceland, yet few are formally protected despite ongoing threats from renewable energy exploitation and 4 × 4 usage. Robust and repeatable approaches are required to map wilderness landscape qualities in support of developing policy on designations that meet international standards. We present an approach to mapping wilderness that is based on internationally recognised methods and customised to suit the unique nature of Icelandic landscapes. We use spatially explicit models of wilderness attributes that measure human impact from vehicular access, land use and visible human features rather than relying on proxy measures such as buffer zones. Seventeen wilderness areas are identified across the Central Highlands and surrounding areas, totalling some 28,470 km<sup>2</sup>. These are compared to existing mapping projects. The character of these areas is described using additional spatial data models on openness, ruggedness and accessibility from settlements, together with information on mobile phone coverage and grazing patterns. This is the most detailed mapping of wilderness in Iceland to date and an important step towards the formal definition of boundaries of wilderness areas meeting IUCN Category 1b and Wild Europe Working Definition in Iceland. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:33:18Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-29688343dd34464eafc097ae00a470d4 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2073-445X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T08:33:18Z |
| publishDate | 2023-02-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Land |
| spelling | doaj.art-29688343dd34464eafc097ae00a470d42023-11-16T21:37:26ZengMDPI AGLand2073-445X2023-02-0112244610.3390/land12020446New Approaches to Modelling Wilderness Quality in IcelandSteve Carver0Sif Konráðsdóttir1Snæbjörn Guðmundsson2Ben Carver3Oliver Kenyon4School of Geography, University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UKAttorney-at-Law, ÓFEIG Nature Conservation Society, 107 Reykjavík, IcelandIcelandic Museum of Natural History, 108 Reykjavík, IcelandWildland Research Limited, Northallerton DL7 8FF, UKWildland Research Limited, Northallerton DL7 8FF, UKMuch of Europe’s remaining wilderness areas are found in Iceland, yet few are formally protected despite ongoing threats from renewable energy exploitation and 4 × 4 usage. Robust and repeatable approaches are required to map wilderness landscape qualities in support of developing policy on designations that meet international standards. We present an approach to mapping wilderness that is based on internationally recognised methods and customised to suit the unique nature of Icelandic landscapes. We use spatially explicit models of wilderness attributes that measure human impact from vehicular access, land use and visible human features rather than relying on proxy measures such as buffer zones. Seventeen wilderness areas are identified across the Central Highlands and surrounding areas, totalling some 28,470 km<sup>2</sup>. These are compared to existing mapping projects. The character of these areas is described using additional spatial data models on openness, ruggedness and accessibility from settlements, together with information on mobile phone coverage and grazing patterns. This is the most detailed mapping of wilderness in Iceland to date and an important step towards the formal definition of boundaries of wilderness areas meeting IUCN Category 1b and Wild Europe Working Definition in Iceland.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/2/446wilderness qualitywilderness characterIcelandCentral Highlands |
| spellingShingle | Steve Carver Sif Konráðsdóttir Snæbjörn Guðmundsson Ben Carver Oliver Kenyon New Approaches to Modelling Wilderness Quality in Iceland Land wilderness quality wilderness character Iceland Central Highlands |
| title | New Approaches to Modelling Wilderness Quality in Iceland |
| title_full | New Approaches to Modelling Wilderness Quality in Iceland |
| title_fullStr | New Approaches to Modelling Wilderness Quality in Iceland |
| title_full_unstemmed | New Approaches to Modelling Wilderness Quality in Iceland |
| title_short | New Approaches to Modelling Wilderness Quality in Iceland |
| title_sort | new approaches to modelling wilderness quality in iceland |
| topic | wilderness quality wilderness character Iceland Central Highlands |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/12/2/446 |
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