Delicate Nature

The profound damage that off-road driving does to Iceland's fragile nature has been regularly in the news lately. Sigríður Anna Þórðardóttir, Minister of Environment, has lost her patience regarding motorcross driving and has decided to increase surveillance. The Icelandic Coastguard and the police have reach an agreement to use the Coastguard's helicopter in that purpose.

The Minister of Environment has spread the word that punishment for off-road driving will be toughened and considers banning certain types of motorcross vehicles. Jeep and four by four owners are also partly responsible although the motorcross sport is largely to blame.

According to laws that protect the environment it is unautherized to drive off-roads, except on glaciers and when ice and snow cover the ground. Exceptions are very few. Driving once through fields off moss can leave wounds that take decades to grow. So delicate is Icelandic nature. Motorcrossers have requested that Þórðardóttir better defines what is considered a road and what isn't when out in the country. Both parties are working up a solution so that the motorcross-sport and protecting the environment can go together. -hbv