World Heritage site: Surtsey (Iceland)

• Surtsey is a volcanic island off the southern coast of Iceland

• Southern most point of Iceland
• In 2008, UNESCO declared the island a
World Heritage Site, in recognition of its
great scientific value.
• Formed in a volcanic eruption which
began 130 metres below sea level and
reached the surface on 14th November
1963
• The eruption lasted until 5th June 1967
when the island reached its maximum size
of 2.7km2
• Provides the world with a pristine natural laboratory
• Since they began studying the island in 1964, scientists have observed the
arrival of seeds carried by ocean currents, the appearance of moulds, bacteria
and fungi, followed in 1965 by the first vascular plant, of which there were 10
species by the end of the first decade.
• By 2004, they numbered 60 together with 75 bryophytes, 71 lichens and 24
fungi. Eighty-nine species of birds have been recorded on Surtsey, 57 of which
breed elsewhere in Iceland.

Threats:
• Potential threats from humans (researchers, scientists etc)
• Threat of erosion to the island from wind and waves as the island is slumping

Conservation/ Management:
• The purpose of strictly prohibiting visits to
Surtsey is to ensure that colonisation by
plants and animals, biotic succession and
the shaping of geological formations will
be as natural as possible and that human
disruption will be minimised.
• It is prohibited to go ashore or dive by the
island, to disturb the natural features,
introduce organisms, minerals and soils or
leave waste on the island. Nearby
construction is also strictly controlled.
• The most significant management issue will be to retain the level of control
and protection from human influence that has characterised the protective
history of Surtsey. It is noted that, as an island ecosystem, there is the potential
for human disturbance and pollution from a very wide area. Contingency
planning, for example for oil spills, is required for the property and its wider
surroundings.