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LIVING
WITH NATURE
 Over
the centuries, Iceland's human inhabitants, today more than
283,000 strong, have forged close ties to the island's wildlife.
But the relationship has had its ups and downs. When settlers
first arrived, for instance, Iceland was covered with stands of
healthy forest. Within a century, however, the trees had been
felled to provide fuel and timber to growing villages. Today, far
less than 1% of the island's original forest remains. Residents
are now making efforts to replant imported trees. Similarly,
humans haven't been kind to Iceland's thin glacial soils. For
hundreds of years, they have herded sheep across their lands,
harvesting valuable wool and meat. In fact, there are twice as
many sheep in Iceland as people. Unfortunately, however, the
woolly livestock overgrazed the thin vegetation and promoted
erosion, reducing once green fields to rocky, barren lots. Up to a
third of the country's fields were seriously scarred.
Today, new management methods have reduced some of the damage. And
Icelanders are increasingly aware that they bear responsibility
for preserving nature, including some of the world's most
important bird nesting grounds. Near Latrabjarg, for instance, is
the world's single largest seabird-nesting cliff, while southern
Iceland hosts the globe's biggest skua colony. Iceland is also
home to some of the world's largest colonies of puffins, seabirds
beloved the world around whose colorful, clown-like beaks are
their most identifying feature. By protecting these remarkable
natural sites, Iceland is not only helping to preserve the world's
biological heritage, it also helps promote a healthy economy.
Increasingly, tourism, including bird watchers who come to see the
colonies, has become one of the nation's most important sources of
income.
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