Much of Icelandic ecosystems are severely degraded or in collapsed state. However, much of this poor state goes un-noticed: land literacy needs to be improved and problems must be recognized. Furthermore, it is important to realize the relationship between land use and land condition, and that the condition of the land can be improved, degraded land can be restored.
The book is a text aimed for students and interested public to help the reader to:
The book is a text aimed for students and interested public to help the reader to:
- understand the condition of Icelandic ecosystems – by applying easily identifiable ecosystem condition stages ranging from collapsed state (deserts with broken energy, nutrient and water cycles) to excellent condition;
- provide some fundamental information about the principles of land restoration;
- become familiar with ecosystem succession processes and both physical and biological controls and constraints of succession;
- comprehend ecosystem factors that express land condition, including soil and vegetation factors such as cover, composition, soil organic matter, and factors that affect physical surface conditions;
- understand degradation processes and their impacts on ecosystems;
- realize the interaction between land use and land condition;
- recognize the different erosion processes and landscape forms that express active soil erosion;
- learn to work with nature in improving the condition of the land, and that there are no quick fixes.