Þjórsárver -The largest breeding ground for pink-footed geese

24.2.2004

Þjórsárver is an extensive, mostly vegetated, part of the central highlands of Iceland, stretching for about140 km², mostly on the west side of the River Þjórsá south of Hofsjökull. The area is situated about 600 metres above sea level. The majority of Þjórsárver and the surrounding area (375 km² in all) was protected in 1981 and the area was designated a Ramsar Site in 1990, mainly for the sake of its bird life.

The vegetated parts of Þjórsárver have names ending in ver, such as Tjarnaver, Oddkelsver and Þúfuver, There are two explanations of ‘ver’, bog or damp grassland, as people understand the word today, and the more likely one in this case, that it refers to a place or an area where people hunted, fished or collected eggs. For instance, there is the Icelandic word ‘verbúðir’, which means fisherman’s hut, and Norwegian has words like ‘eggvær’ and ‘dunvær’, referring to places where eggs and down were collected. Þjórsárver is one of the largest, most isolated oases in the Icelandic highlands. Its outstanding character and very existence are first and foremost a consequence of the interaction of glaciers, water, soil, climate, vegetation and wildlife. Þjórsárver is part of an impressive landscape that remains largely unspoilt.

Nature

The highland oases are fragments of formerly more extensive and continuous areas of vegetated terrain, and home to numerous organisms that do not thrive in the surrounding desert. Þjórsárver can therefore also act as a source for seeds, a kind of “seed bank”, utilised by the surrounding barren area when conditions are appropriate. This substantially enhances the importance of the area.

Part of Þjórsárver is marshland, an uncommon habitat in the highlands, and one of the most varied areas of dead-ice hummocks, a rare landscape feature, is found at Þjórsárver. This highland oasis contains more species than any other areas of the highlands, and most groups of organisms are represented, including 167 species of vascular plants, numerous mosses and lichens, small mammals and birds. There are at least 298 species of insects, spiders and leaf beetles. The fox population is not large, and field mice are uncommon. Þjórsárver is very important for the protection of biological diversity.

Habitats in Þjórsárver are more varied than in other highland oases, and include irrigated grasslands, damp grasslands with beaked sedge and Lyngbye’s sedge, cottongrass bogs, palsa mires with a striking array of dead-ice hummocks and small lakes, and various kinds of heath and alpine vegetation.

Þjórsárver is the largest breeding ground in the world for pink-footed geese, and scientists have agreed for a long time that it may be vital for the existence of this goose population in Iceland and East Greenland. Many other birds breed in the area, including ptarmigan, golden plovers, ringed plovers, red-necked phalaropes, dunlins, purple sandpipers, snow buntings, long-tailed ducks, arctic skuas and arctic terns. The great northern diver also nests here, but is rare. Whooper swans used to be common, but are seldom seen nowadays.

Þjórsárver can thank water for its existence, both glacial water and spring water. Water is everywhere, rivers and streams flowing on the surface, springs, lakes and pools. Three-spined sticklebacks are found in streams and tadpole shrimps in almost every pool; they form an important source of food for many birds.

One of the most important aspects of the Þjórsárver area is that so many habitats and special landscape features are protected here in a largely pristine state, although a system of reservoirs (Kvíslaveita) comprising 25-30 km² of lakes and channels is situated at one margin of the protected area and has already inundated 6 km² of vegetated land. Ever since the area became a nature reserve, and earlier too, plans have existed for exploiting a large part of the reserve for a reservoir linked to power stations, referred to as Norðlingaölduveita. Such a reservoir would seriously damage the vegetation and ruin the continuity of the landscape. Moreover, there is a risk that the vegetation would also be damaged by wind and water erosion. It is difficult to predict damage to vegetation, since the area is very flat.

The landscape around Þjórsárver is widely recognised for its remarkable beauty, with a glacier as a backdrop, varied vegetation, pools and lakes, rich bird life and many small animals, a glacial river, and not least its wilderness charachter. Areas lacking roads, cabins and huts, reservoirs and other constructions are becoming increasingly seldom in the Icelandic highlands. Þjórsárver is therefore undoubtedly one of Iceland’s most important highland areas.

Geology

The Þjórsárver area, an undulating, moraine-covered upland plateau, was formed by glaciers during the Ice Age. The bedrock consists mostly of basaltic lava and tuff. When the ice melted around 10,000 years ago, it left behind the ridges and mounds of moraine that dominate the landscape. A few lava flows have poured over the surface near Þjórsárver since the Ice Age. The bedrock is largely covered by thick deposits of partially indurated moraine and glacial lake sediments (gravel and sand), and these are overlain by a 2-7 m thick layer of sandy soil that becomes more dominantly sandy upwards, implying an increasing influx of windblown sand.

Utilisation of the Þjórsárver area

The geese at Þjórsárver were exploited for many centuries, probably until some time after 1700. Geese which were moulting were herded into folds, many remains of which can still be seen in the area. Geesefolds are not known elsewhere in Iceland. It was not always easy to herd geese in the wetlands, but they are sociable creatures and remain in groups, thus making the task easier. The farmers also used to slaughter whooper swans at Þjórsárver.

Sheep have certainly grazed Þjórsárver for hundreds of years, but horses have never grazed here, and this has had a great effect on the vegetation. Sheep still graze here, but since the number of sheep in Iceland has been drastically reduced in recent years, not many are found here and they have virtually no impact on the vegetation. Local inhabitants used to gather Icelandicmoss lichen at the foot of Arnarfell, where it grows profusely.

Main routes between the north and south of the country used to cross Sprengisandur. Three tracks passed over Þjórsárver, and they depended upon places where it was possible to wade over the River Þjórsá. Remains of horse trails can still be seen in many places.

Fugitives at Þjórsárver

Fjalla-Eyvindur (Mountain-Eyvindur, Eyvindur Jónsson, born in 1714) and his wife, Halla Jónsdóttir, lived as lawles persons for at least fifteen years in several of Iceland’s uninhabited districts. Many accounts exist of their hideouts in the highlands and Herðubreiðarlindir, Hvannalindir, Hveravellir and Þjórsárver are among the places they probably lived. It is thought they built more than one hut at Þjórsárver, and Eyvindur is supposed to have said that he had never had such a good life anywhere else. The couple probably lived at Þjórsárver from 1765 to 1772. Eyvindur was very handy and apparently exploited what his surroundings had to offer very well. Nevertheless, for us, it is inconceivable that Eyvindur and Halla could survive the winter in an earth hut when there was often severe frost, bad weather and no wildlife to live on. They had to lay up winter provisions, and people from nearby settlements found 75 sheep’s heads near Eyvindur’s hut close to Arnarfell.

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