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The purposes of this Act are set out in article 1. The Act applies to all territory of Iceland, the EEZ and the Continental Shelf.The Act consists of 79 sections divided into 9 Chapters: Objectives, scope and definitions (I); Administration of nature conservation affairs (II); Right of public access, treatment of the natural environment and outdoor leisure (III); Operation of nature conservation areas (IV); Landscape conservation (V); Extraction of materials from the earth (VI); Protected sites of natural interest (VII); Nature Conservation Strategy and Registry of Sites of Natural Interest (VIII); Miscellaneous provisions (IX).The Minister for the Environment has ultimate responsibility for nature conservation affairs. In formulating policy for nature conservation and actions and information dissemination in this area, the Minister shall consult with concerned parties, institutions and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) as appropriate in each instance. The Nature Conservation Agency is established as a public institution under the jurisdiction of the Minister for the Environment. The Agency shall oversee, operate and supervise nature conservation areas as provided for by law, and carry out other duties relative to nature conservation as specified in article 6. Article 8 makes provision for a Nature Conservation Council. The Council shall make proposals on protection and other conservation measures to the Minister, and discuss the Nature Conservation Strategy, as provided for in articles 65 and 66. The Minister call a Nature Conservation Convention which shall be a forum for those parties involved in nature conservation affairs. Each local authority or regional council shall have a nature conservation committee. Articles 33 and 34 concern land use planning and environmental impact assessment. The Minister for the Environment may, in consultation with the Minister of Agriculture, decide on protection and reclamation measures to conserve forests and other plant communities. (art. 39). Article 41 provides for import, cultivation and distribution of living alien organisms. Provisions of this Chapter VI shall apply to extraction of materials from the ground, the beds of watercourses and freshwater lakes and, as applicable, extraction from or under the seabed within Iceland's territorial waters and exclusive economic zone. Artcile 49 concerns rehabilitation of extraction areas. Protected sites of natural interest are divided into the following classifications: national parks (art. 51); nature reserves (art. 53); natural monuments on land (art. 53) and at sea (art. 54); protected organisms, habitats and ecosystems (arts. 53 and 54) and country parks (art. 55). A Conservation Fund shall be operated under the auspices of the Ministry for the Environment.
