Grafarvogur protected
Environment, Energy and Climate Minister Jóhann Páll Jóhannsson signed the declaration of protection for Grafarvogur today. The bay has been protected as a nature reserve; its protection covers the bay area within Gullinbrú. Reykjavík City and the Nature Conservation Agency jointly prepared the declaration of protection.
Mayor Heiða Björg Hilmisdóttir celebrated the declaration of protection in her speech beside the mirror-smooth waters of Grafarvogur, which sparkled in the sunlight during today's midday signing ceremony. She said the area holds both historical and scientific value for Reykjavík. "For city residents, the bay is the heart of a popular outdoor recreation area, and few places in the city are as accessible for nature experiences and bird watching," she added that the protection aims to preserve important shoreline habitats and bird nesting areas. Its designation also ensures public access to the area for nature experiences, bird watching and education.
For city residents, the bay is the heart of a popular outdoor recreation area, and few places in the city are as accessible for nature experiences and bird watching
Crucial habitat for many bird species
Grafarvogur has high conservation value, as it's one of the few places in the city where relatively undisturbed mudflats still exist. Mudflats serve as stopover sites for migratory birds, especially shorebirds, and support rich bird life throughout the year. The bay is therefore an important stopover and feeding site for many bird species, and many of the species that use the area are on watch lists or are at risk. These include fulmars, Iceland gulls, purple sandpipers and great black-backed gulls.
Large flocks of red knots, sanderlings, dunlin, redshank, black-tailed godwits and ringed plovers also regularly visit the mudflats during migration, both in spring and fall. Grafarvogur is also a key area for golden plovers in the fall when they gather there before departing.
The protected area covers 0.5 square kilometers.
Jóhann Páll Jóhannsson, minister of environment, energy and climate: "The bay is an excellent example of a declaration of protection that supports biodiversity, because here we ensure a gathering place for various bird species that use the bay to feed and rest. People also enjoy walking along the bay, and with this protection we ensure that the natural environment remains unchanged, for the benefit of both us and the birds."
In addition to the minister and mayor, representatives and staff from Reykjavík City, the ministry, and the Icelandic Institute of Natural History attended the declaration of protection ceremony.
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