Sustainable Grazing in Iceland

Olafur Arnalds, who holds a Ph.D. in Soil Science from Texas A&M University, has served as a professor at the Agricultural University of Iceland since 2005, including a tenure as Dean until 2012, while also contributing as a core teacher and studies committee member at the UN University Land Restoration Training Programme. His extensive involvement in international research and policy programmes related to soil and environmental sciences, including EU and Nordic networks, complements his three-year service on the Icelandic Research Fund board. Beyond his scientific publications, he has prioritized outreach programmes and educational material development, focusing his research on volcanic area soils, Icelandic soil genesis and properties, ecological restoration, and carbon sequestration. His significant contributions to the field include authoring and editing multiple international scientific books on soils, land degradation, soil conservation, and rangeland sciences, as well as creating the Icelandic soil map and "The Soils of Iceland" for Springer, while his program on "Soil Erosion in Iceland" earned the 1998 Nordic Nature and Environmental Award, and his recent work has concentrated on quantifying and mapping dust production from Icelandic desert areas and studying aeolian processes.

At the Agricultural University of Iceland, Dr. Isabel C. Barrio serves as an Associate Professor, teaching rangeland ecology and management while also instructing and mentoring fellows through the United Nations University Land Restoration Training Programme (UNU-LRT). Her research concentrates on plant-herbivore interactions within tundra ecosystems, with a particular focus on studying the effects of sheep grazing on Iceland's common highland ranges, which represents a primary land use practice in the country. Following the completion of her PhD in Environmental Sciences in 2010, she conducted postdoctoral research at the University of Alberta in Canada before establishing herself in Iceland in 2015.

Egill Erlendsson serves as a Professor in the Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Iceland's School of Engineering and Natural Sciences, where he has established himself as a prominent figure in palaeoecology and environmental reconstruction. His academic journey began with a BSc in Geography from the University of Iceland in 2002, followed by a PhD from the University of Aberdeen in 2007, focusing on environmental changes during Iceland's Norse settlement period. His groundbreaking research has significantly advanced our understanding of Iceland's historical landscapes through innovative studies of lake sediments, which reveal patterns of climate change and landscape erosion in western Iceland. As a skilled palaeoecologist, his work combines archaeological, historical, and palaeoenvironmental evidence to reconstruct Iceland's past environments, offering crucial insights into how the landscape evolved before human settlement and subsequent agricultural activities. His research is particularly valuable as it examines Iceland's Holocene environment during its uninhabited period, free of mammalian herbivores, providing essential data about natural ecosystem processes. Through his position at the University of Iceland, he continues to contribute to our understanding of environmental change and human impact on Iceland's dynamic and vulnerable landscapes, while also focusing on vegetation history, soil erosion, and archaeological investigations that help piece together the complex story of Iceland's environmental past

Ingibjörg Svala Jónsdóttir serves as a Professor of Ecology at the University of Iceland's Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, where she has established herself as a leading expert in tundra ecosystems and climate change impacts. Her extensive research career, which began with a PhD in Plant Ecology from Lund University, Sweden, focuses on understanding biotic interactions, ecosystem processes, and biodiversity in terrestrial ecosystems, with particular emphasis on the rapidly changing Arctic region. Her work spans across multiple Arctic locations including the Icelandic highlands, northern Scandinavia, Svalbard, Arctic Canada, and Siberia, where she investigates plant life history, population dynamics, and critical interactions between vascular plants, bryophytes, and herbivores. As a founding member of the International Tundra Experiment (ITEX) since 1990, she has made significant contributions to understanding climate change impacts on Arctic ecosystems. Her research methodology combines field observations with experimental approaches, both in natural settings and laboratory conditions. Beyond her research, she actively participates in international scientific networks, serves as Vice-Chair of the Nordic Society Oikos, and maintains a passion for cross-country skiing and watercolor painting. Her work has garnered significant recognition in the scientific community, with her publications receiving over 13,000 citations, establishing her as a prominent voice in Arctic ecological research and climate change studies.

David S Hik currently serves as Chief Scientist and Vice-President of Research at Polar Knowledge Canada while maintaining his position as Professor of Biological Sciences at Simon Fraser University. With over 38 years of expertise studying high-latitude and alpine environments, he has established himself as a prominent figure in mountain and Arctic ecology research. His academic journey includes degrees from Queens University (BSc), University of Toronto (MSc), and University of British Columbia (PhD), followed by postdoctoral work at CSIRO in Australia. Throughout his career, he has held prestigious positions including Canada Research Chair in Northern Ecology at the University of Alberta and Associate Dean at Simon Fraser University. His research focuses on understanding ecological processes, particularly plant-herbivore interactions, biodiversity conservation, and climate change impacts in mountain and northern environments. He conducts long-term studies across diverse locations including Yukon, Alberta, British Columbia, Iceland, and Costa Rica, with his Yukon mountains research project being Canada's longest-running terrestrial mountain ecology initiative. In September 2021, he relocated to Cambridge Bay, Nunavut, to lead the Science and Technology Framework at the Canadian High Arctic Research Station, where he works to advance Canada's Arctic knowledge while supporting Indigenous communities facing climate change challenges. His contributions to science education include developing highly-rated online courses like "Mountains 101" and "Sheep in the Land of Fire and Ice," making mountain science accessible to global audiences.