Skerjafjordur, Gardabaer

Skerfjafjörður, within the Garðabær town limits, was protected as a habitat in 2009. The aim of the protection is to preserve the ecosystem on the shore, beach and shallow waters in Skerjafjörður. The aim of the protection, moreover, is to preserve the outdoor activity and educational value of the area which is contained in its rich ecosystem and opportunities for outdoor recreation by the beach.

The Skerjafjörður area forms the base for very diverse birdlife all year round and is an important destination of migratory birds and migrants that stop here on their way to and from nesting grounds in the north. The beaches and mudflats of the area are full of life; there are great seaweed beaches and shallow waters with a rich benthic life. The Skerjafjörður area as a whole has international conservation value for bird species, such as red knot and brant geese, and is also important for eelgrass, which has limited spread in Iceland and is one of the main food sources of brant geese. The educational value of the area is high as regards ecosystems, access to the area is good and the coastline is popular for outdoor activities and the fjord for cruises.

When deciding on the protection, the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern 1979) was taken into account, pursuant to the Official Journal C 17/1993, Convention on Biological Diversity (Rio de Janeiro 1992), pursuant to the Official Journal C 3/1995 and the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar 1971), pursuant to the Official Journal C 1/1978.

The habitat covers an area of 427.5 ha.

The picture shows a brant goose.