Nature and environmental management

Since the 1960s, the Faroe Islands have experienced rapid development within areas such as infrastructure, occupational distribution, energy consumption and tourism, which has naturally left its mark on the nature and the environment of the islands. According to the Home Rule Act, environment and nature management are Faroese jurisdictions, and it is thus the Faroe Islands that are responsible for the legislation intended to protect nature and regulate activities that may affect or be harmful to the environment. In 2020, nature and environmental management was mainly based on Act of the Faroese Parliament on Environmental Protection from 1988, Act of the Faroese Parliament on the Protection of the Marine Environment from 2005 and Act of the Faroese Parliament on Nature Conservation from 1970.

The Environmental Protection Act

The Act of the Faroese Parliament on Environmental Protection aims to prevent and limit pollution of air, water and soil with solid, liquid and gaseous substances as well as ensure that vibrations and light from all sources stay within acceptable threshold values. The act primarily regulates activities on land, but also covers fish farming in sea farms.

The minister for the environment is the highest authority within the environmental area. Some areas have been transferred to the municipalities, which then serve as local environmental authorities, while other areas are managed by Umhvørvisstovan (the Environment Agency), which is an agency under the minister for the environment. The municipalities environmental responsibility covers collection, reuse and disposal of refuse and waste water and they also supervise small businesses. Environmental approval of companies and facilities that may be the source of significant pollution is, on the other hand, managed by Umhvørvisstovan. Environmental approvals contain conditions that companies must comply with in order to limit pollution. These conditions relate to emissions to the air, discharges to the water and soil, noise, odour, etc. Other conditions include requirements for self-monitoring and reporting.

Sea farming

Today, farming of salmon is one of the Faroe Islands’ biggest businesses, and with an annual production in the years leading up to 2020 of around 100,000 tonnes, salmon production plays a key role in the Faroese economy. However, the discharge of excrement and feed residues from the farms also makes salmon farming a potentially critical source of nutrient loading in fjords and sounds.

In order to maintain a sustainable production and keep the environmental impact to a minimum, it is crucial that organic material does not accumulate under the farms, but is carried away by the current or converted by bacteria and benthic animals. In the environmental approvals for sea farming, special requirements have therefore been imposed on the operation, and both internal inspection and supervision are carried out regularly. As part of the environmental supervision of the farming industry, the environmental authorities require that the condition of the seabed under and near the farms is monitored. If the environmental load becomes unacceptably high, the companies must adapt their operations so that the load falls to an acceptable level. This can for example be done by moving the farms or reducing the number of fish.

Wind turbines

In 2020, diesel power stations accounted for 61.3 % of electricity production, while water and wind turbines accounted for 26.7 % and 11.6 %, respectively. However, the intermunicipal electricity company, SEV, has a goal that all electricity production must come from renewable energy sources by 2030, which will require a significant expansion of renewable energy. Wind turbines will probably play an important part in this respect, and a large number of wind turbines will therefore need to be erected on the islands before 2030.

Environmental monitoring

Regular monitoring is undertaken of both environmentally harmful substances and air quality. Monitoring of environmentally harmful substances has been carried out every year since 1997 and focuses in particular on long-range atmospheric transport of substances, which are covered by international conventions, including mercury and slowly degradable organic substances, the so-called POPs (Persistent Organic Pollutants), as well as more recent environmental pollutants.

Part of the monitoring includes analyses of the content of substances harmful to the environment and health in animal species such as longfinned pilot whales, fish and birds that form part of the Faroese diet. These analyses are carried out as part of the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP). For certain animal species, the analyses go back a long way, meaning that long time series have been compiled for the levels of pollutants in the Faroe Islands.

Air quality is of great importance to public health, and since 2014, the concentration of particles as well as sulphur dioxide (SO2) and NOX in the air has been measured by a measuring station at a very busy road in Tórshavn and a background measuring station outside the town where there are no noticeable sources of pollution. Since 2018, a measuring station in Kaldbak has also been used, which is close to a large diesel power plant. Monitoring is also part of the contingency in the event of severe air pollution, which can for example occur in connection with volcanic eruptions. During Eyjafjallajökull’s major eruption in Iceland in 2010, the Faroe Islands experienced significant ashfall.

Both the background station and the station at the power plant in Kaldbak have only recorded low concentrations of health-harming substances. In Tórshavn, higher concentrations have been measured, which vary in particular with the time of day and the wind direction. The health-harming substances likely originate mainly from cars.

The Marine Environment Act

The Act of the Faroese Parliament on the Protection of the Marine Environment aims to prevent and reduce the pollution of both the sea and the air with solid, liquid and gaseous substances. It primarily regulates emissions from ships and imposes a number of requirements to prevent and limit pollution. These requirements are largely based on rules from the IMO (International Maritime Organization). For instance, there are rules for waste management on board ships, just as it is forbidden to dispose of certain substances and materials in the sea. All ports must also have reception facilities for the various types of waste that come from the ships. This applies to all types of plastic.

Plastic that ends up in the ocean does not break down naturally, but instead breaks up into smaller pieces that can cause harm if ingested by birds and fish. Over time, the pieces of plastic are reduced to microplastics and nanoplastics, which can be absorbed by smaller and smaller organisms. It is still unknown what consequences the microplastics can have for the wildlife in the sea and for the people who eat, for example, fish and shellfish.

In order to limit air pollution from the ships, rules stipulate which fuels they may use. The rules mainly set limits for the content of sulphur in the oil, which pollutes the air with the harmful sulphur dioxide (SO₂). Ships calling at Faroese ports or at anchor less than two nautical miles from shore may only use oil with a maximum sulphur content of 0.1 %. In the past, ships were often the source of oil pollution, especially in connection with the bunkering of oil. Strict rules on bunkering have therefore been made, and both the suppliers and recipients of the oil must follow certain procedures and closely monitor the bunkering. Significant fines are imposed if oil pollution is due to a lack of monitoring or if the equipment used is not in proper condition. In order to prevent invasive alien species or pathogenic organisms from spreading from one sea area to another, ships that carry ballast water and arrive from another country or sea area are not allowed to discharge the ballast water without treating or cleaning it first.

The Nature Conservation Act

The Act of the Faroese Parliament on Nature Conservation defines conservation zones that cover large parts of the Faroese land area. Construction and major interventions in nature or the landscape in the outfield as well as certain places in the infield near beaches, lakes, streams and plantations thus require dispensation from the conservation authorities. In cases of dispensation for the construction of buildings in the protected zones, emphasis is placed on the buildings’ appearance and location in the landscape. The Nature Conservation Act is managed by a national conservation board and by several local conservation boards.

The act also allows certain areas to be protected either to protect special landscapes or vulnerable animal and plant species. Today, there are three protected areas: an area by the lake Leynavatn on Streymoy, an area around the lake Fjallavatn on Vágar and Mølheyggjar on Sandoy. Mølheyggjar on Sandoy is one of the few sand dunes in the Faroe Islands and has a diverse plant and wildlife. It is also the habitat of plant species that are not found anywhere else on the islands.

The conservation orders require that areas are preserved in their original form. Any kind of construction, erection of fences and the like which may mark the landscape is prohibited. It is also forbidden to remove stones, sand, soil, plants and animals from the areas. However, the orders do not restrict the continued use of the areas for agricultural purposes, including cultivation.

International protection – Ramsar sites

In 1977, the Faroe Islands and Denmark acceded to the Ramsar Convention, which is an international agreement that aims to protect wetlands of international importance, including areas that are important habitats for birds. The convention also covers bird cliffs and other seabird habitats. Nólsoy, Skúvoy and Mykines were designated as Ramsar sites in 2012. The areas include the entire area of the islands as well as a zone that extends 500 m from land.

With approx. 50,000 pairs, Nólsoy has one of the world’s largest populations of European storm petrel (Hydrobates pelagicus). The world’s largest colony is in Urðin on the southeast side of the island where a prehistoric landslide has created a landscape of stones and boulders. In addition to the European storm petrel, Nólsoy is also habitat to a large population of Atlantic puffins (Fratercula arctica) of around 30,000 pairs.

Skúvoy also has a significant bird life with a around 280,000 pairs of breeding seabirds. They include the Faroe Islands’ largest breeding population of manx shearwater (Puffinus puffinus) of about 10,000 pairs and 96,000 pairs of common guillemot (Uria aalge), which account for about half of the islands’ total population. To this should be added close to 50,000 pairs of northern fulmar (Fulmarus glacialis) and 40,000 pairs of Atlantic puffin (Fratercula artica grabae). European storm petrel and golden plover (Pluvialis apricaria) also breed on the island.

Mykines is particularly known for being the habitat of the Faroe Islands’ largest breeding colony of Atlantic puffins of around 125,000 pairs. The Atlantic puffins thereby make up around half of the 250,000 pairs of seabirds that use the island as a breeding and foraging area.

Management plans (Ramsar plans) have been prepared for all three Ramsar sites, which define the threats to bird populations and make proposals for protecting the bird life. The plans are formulated by local Ramsar committees that consist of people from the local area as well as representatives from the municipality and the national authorities. The committees, which meet about once a year, make recommendations to authorities and other stakeholders, but do not act as an authority.

Among the biggest threats to the birds are disturbances during the breeding season from e.g. coastal, fast-sailing boats and traffic in the breeding areas. Legislation has therefore been adopted to limit the sailing speed near the islands, and measures have been introduced to limit traffic during the birds’ breeding season. Rats and cats are also serious threats to the birds. Today, the brown rat has yet to be found on 11 of the 18 islands, and various measures have been introduced to ensure that rats do not get to Nólsoy, Skúvoy, Mykines and the eight other islands where rats have not been found via, e.g., feed and other goods transported to the islands. In addition, the municipalities are required by law to regularly monitor the presence of rats and to draw up contingency plans that can be put into action if rats are observed on the islands. At village gatherings where a village under the leadership of the sheriff can establish local bylaws, it has been decided to completely ban keeping cats on Skúvoy, while an upper limit has been set on the number of cats on Nólsoy, in order to protect birdlife.

Further reading

• Birds on the Faroe Islands
• Climate on the Faroe Islands
• Fresh Waters on the Faroe Islands
• Insects and arachnids on the Faroe Islands
• Lakes on the Faroe Islands
• Landscapes and coasts on the Faroe Islands
• Plant life on land on the Faroe Islands
• The sea around the Faroe Islands
• Weather conditions on the Faroe Islands
• Wildlife on the Faroe Islands

Read more about Nature and landscape on the Faroe Islands