Plans have been set forth to develop yet another of the most treasured pearls of the Icelandic highlands: the world famous area of Landmannalaugar.

The developments will include the building of a restaurant, a “shop”(!), an artificial hot pool…

Authorities and other people involved have stated that there is no reason why the public and visitors should be consulted, which seems rather a sign of the fact that they are afraid of the likely results: that people (local and tourists alike) would prefer the area to remain as wild as possible.

The Hálendi (highlands of Iceland) are one of the largest (and few) remaining wilderness areas in Europe, and their attractiveness is largely motivated by the sense of remoteness that they convey to visitors. Developing the area and pushing for more anthropisation also risks pushing away the very people that are more likely to appreciate and respect the intrinsic value of the area, and attracting those who would just go there to add another tick to their destination checklist, without much consideration for the peace of the area, the delicate ecosystem and the culture value that it represents for the Icelandic nation.  

The response to increased tourist traffic cannot always invariably be “more development and more concret: that’s just the quick and easy way to cash in even more, intercepting a coming wave, but there are other interests at stake.

It is understandable that improvements can be made in the services of the area, and we are not asking for a simple “keep things as they are”, but we believe that a conversation should be made on how necessary improvements could be made without damaging the atmosphere and the character of the place.

Making the area more accessible for the sake of it and without a vision on how to protect it, will just mean it will be flooded by an uncontrollable stream of visitors which may eventually be enough a justification for even more drastic developmental projects.

Let us have a conversation about how we can on the one hand provide better facilities for visitors and on the other avoid to spoil this natural treasure.