The Icelandic Society for the Protection of Birds (or the Fuglavernd) was established in 1963 and is the main amateur or non-governmental organisation in

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

whose policy is the conservation of birds and their habitats and the spreading of knowledge of the same.Johann Oli Hilmarsson (2000) Icelandic Bird Guide, IDUNNFat Birder birding Iceland
/ref>

Björn Guðbrandsson

For many years Dr Björn Guðbrandsson (1917–2006) was the society's main driving force.Icelandic Society for the Protection of Birds
/ref>

Early years

For its first 30 years it was principally concerned with saving the Icelandic

white-tailed eagle The white-tailed eagle (''Haliaeetus albicilla'') is a very large species of sea eagle widely distributed across temperate Palearctic, Eurasia. Like all eagles, it is a member of the family Accipitridae (or accipitrids) which includes other diur ...

population from extinction. And it was thanks to the efforts of the society that it did not become extinct in the 1960s.

Species for special attention

In more recent times in addition to the society has argued for banning the hunting of the

rock ptarmigan The rock ptarmigan (''Lagopus muta'') is a medium-sized game bird in the grouse family. It is known simply as the ptarmigan in the UK. It is the official bird for the Canadian territory of Nunavut, where it is known as the ''aqiggiq'' (ᐊᕿ� ...

and the Greenland white-fronted goose. These bans have been effected.

Habitat protection

The society has identified and campaigned for the conservation and protection of some important areas and has even helped establish a reserve east of the

Ölfusá The Ölfusá () is a river in Iceland. It begins at the junction between the Hvítá and Sog rivers, just north of the town of Selfoss, and flows for 25 km into the Atlantic ocean. It is Iceland's largest river by volume with an average ...

River, and north of

Eyrarbakki Eyrarbakki () is a fishing village on the south coast of Iceland with a population of about 570 people, not including inhabitants of the prison located there. The village is founded on the Great Þjórsá Lava. History For centuries, the harbou ...

, the

Flói Nature Reserve The Flói Nature Reserve () is a bird and nature reserve located near Árborg municipality in the Southern Region of Iceland. It includes a stretch of the east shore of the Ölfusá River. The reserve measures roughly wide by long, with an area o ...

(in cooperation with the

Árborg wikt:sveitarfélag#Icelandic, Sveitarfélagwikt:-ið#Icelandic, ið Árborg () is the biggest municipality in southern Iceland founded in 1998. The biggest town in the municipality is Selfoss (town), Selfoss. Eyrarbakki and Stokkseyri are two comm ...

community).

International connections

The Fuglavernd is the Icelandic designated partner of

BirdLife International BirdLife International is a global partnership of non-governmental organizations that strives to conserve birds and their habitats. BirdLife International's priorities include preventing extinction of bird species, identifying and safeguarding ...

References

External links

Icelandic Society for the Protection of Birds