The Environment Agency of Iceland announced last week that six people would lose their jobs in the areas of nature protection and water issues.
Lake Mývatn. Photo: Páll Stefánsson/Iceland Review.
Funding to the agency was reduced in the new budget. The agency will not receive any government funding for the area of nature protection whereas last year the agency received ISK 34 million (USD 293,000, EUR 216,000), ruv.is reports.
According to the head of the Environment Agency, Kristín Linda Árnadóttir, the cuts are in line with the framework and nature protection plan. “At the same time, there are cuts in the area of water issues,” she said.
The agency released its report on the state of water issues in Iceland last week. The state of the water or ocean in 36 places in Iceland is labeled as uncertain in the report.
Kristín told ruv.is that the cuts would mean that the agency’s work in the area of protection would be severely affected.
ZR
