Management and protection plans for natural monuments confirmed

The natural monuments: Litluborgir, Kaldárhraun and Gjárnar

Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, Minister of the Environment, Energy and Climate, has confirmed management and protection plans for the Litluborgir, Kaldárhraun and Gjárnar natural monuments in the land of Hafnarfjörður. Litluborgir are pseudocraters that were formed by lava flowing over a lake. The area was declared protected in 2009. Kaldárhraun and Gjárnar were also declared protected in 2009, as they are one of the last examples of an undisturbed and intact lava field in the land of Hafnarfjörður.

Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, Minister of the Environment, Energy and Climate said: “It is great to be able to confirm the management and protection plans for both of these natural monuments. They are in an area that is a very popular outdoor recreation area, so it is not surprising that there is now a plan in place for how to protect the area, but also how to ensure that people can enjoy them. I would like to thank the people of Hafnarfjörður for their foresight and the Environment Agency of Iceland for all the work behind it.”

Guðlaugur Þór Þórðarson, Minister of the Environment, Energy and Climate, Rósa Guðbjartsdóttir, Mayor of Hafnarfjörður, and Inga Dóra Hrólfsdóttir, Environment Agency of Iceland.

The management and protection plan presents strategies for the future, along with an action plan for the next three years. The management and protection plan was prepared in collaboration with the Environment Agency of Iceland and the municipality of Hafnarfjörður. Natural monuments are one category of protected areas, and the aim of the protection of such areas is to protect individual natural formations due to their academic/research value, beauty, or special characteristics.

Announcement on the website of the Government of Iceland (Icelandic)