Sustainable Hunting Tourism – Business Opportunity in Northern Areas?
Overview of Hunting and Hunting Tourism in Four Northern Countries: Finland, Sweden, Iceland and Canada
Anne Matilainen (Ed.)
Fragment from the Document:
HUNTING AND HUNTING TOURISM IN ICELAND –
COUNTRY OVERVIEW
Hjördís Sigursteinsdóttir, Edward H. Huijbens, Áki Ármann Jónsson, Ólöf
Harpa Jósefsdóttir, Emil Björnsson.
1. Background information
1.1 The role of hunting in the society
Hunting is generally seen as a common right, available to everyone interested in hunting. Hunting
does not have a significant role in Icelandic society. Traditionally it is seen more as a hobby than an
business opportunity. Throughout history hunting has not been a big boon for Icelandic farmers, but
Iceland was predominantly a farming community well into the twentieth century. With the advent of
urbanisation in the mid-twentieth century, city dwellers with roots in the countryside started hunting
for leisure.
Hunting in Iceland takes place both on private land, with the landowners permission, and in common
land areas. There are some species which are only hunted in special parts of the country duo to the
occurrence of the species. E.g. reindeers are only hunted in East Iceland as well as some birds are only
found in some special areas.
Iceland has a short history of hunting tourism. The activities associated with hunting are not really ac-
tual business activities and the activities that are related to the sector are scattered. There have been,
however, few experimental projects done mainly as subsidiary to nature tourism in general.
Generally the role played by hunting in rural development is slim to none, but citing the experiments
cited in 1.4. these could be monitored further in order to give an idea where hunting in Iceland might
lead.
