Name: Steinunn Hödd Hardardóttir
Age: 38 years old
Job: National park manager in the eastern part of the southern area of Vatnajökull National Park.
Your favorite place in Iceland: Vestmannaeyjar has a big place in my heart – but nothing compares to a good summer’s day in Ásbyrgi.
Who does the cooking in your home? I do most of the cooking, but the husband gets to do all the barbeque!
What did you want to be when you grew up? For the longest time, I wanted to be a dentist, and in all the career presentations in elementary school, I went to dental offices and even worked in a dental office the summer after graduating from high school. I then started studying at the Faculty of Dentistry in the fall of 2005, but found out very quickly that I found the biology taught in the program much more enjoyable, so I quickly switched.
What book do you have on your bedside table? The book Atomic habits has been on the nightstand for a few months.. I hope I can finish it this summer.
What to do this weekend? This weekend I’m going to study my master’s thesis, which I have to submit in the 3rd of May. If it goes well and the weather is good, a spring clean will be made in the garden.
Do you have pets? Our family has a dog, Dana, who is a 5-year-old GSP. A very sweet and good hunting dog with a big character.
Coffee or tea? There aren´t many things better then a good cup of coffee, but peppermint tea is coming on strong these days.
What is your main form of exercise? I try to get to the Sports Hall and lift weights 4-5 times a week, and then I go to yoga 3 times a week. In the summer, I try to walk all the hiking trails that are within the southern area of Vatnajökull National Park, but it varies how well I succeed each time.
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever eaten/tasted? Now I usually take the safe route when it comes to food, but in Rovaniemi, Finland, I tasted reindeer meat shaped into some kind of cake.. it was not good at all. My in-laws also once hosted an exchange student from Ecuador who cooked some national dish that included both shrimp and popcorn.. it was really weird.
Summer, winter, spring or autumn? All seasons have their advantages, but summer in Iceland is the best.
Do you have a favorite spring bird? It’s always fun when you hear and see the first Arctic terns here in Höfn.
What is your favorite swimming pool (or swimming pool) in the country? It’s a big familyhobby to try new swimming pools when we travel around the country, but I especially liked trying Lýslaugar in Snæfellsnes.
If you could go anywhere in the world, where would you go? I have always wanted to go to Australia.
How do you contribute to a better visitation with the environment? One of the advantages of living in a small place in the country is that you don’t have to use the car much, but I try to use it as little as I can. Then I try to be conscious when shopping, both by buying local products and environmentally friendly, but also by not buying unnecessary things and rather buying things with a story.
What advice would you give to university students currently studying? Trying to enjoy the journey. This is often difficult and there are times when you feel like nothing is going right, but then everything clicks together and everything works out. It ends eventually and the seriousness takes over, so it’s just as well to enjoy the study time while it lasts.
What is the connection of your research to South Iceland? My research is about how you can use certain control tools that the government has to create and promote regional development in the countryside. I take as an example tourism in the municipality of Hornafjörður, especially those aspects of it that are practiced within the boundaries of Vatnajökull National Park.
Why did you choose this research topic? I chose the research topic primarily based on my biggest projects at work, many of which relate to the tourism industry. The southern area of Vatnajökull National Park is the area of the national park that needs the most intervention from tourism, as the access to the glacier is very good in the southern area. Here we have a great opportunity to use a public institution as a tool for regional development in the countryside.
What did you enjoy most about the research work? I found it very enjoyable to delve into the history of tourism on Jökulsárlón and Breiðamerkursandi. It is believed that Jökulsárlón was first sailed with tourists in 1968, but it was photographers and models from Vogue magazine, and it was local people in the area who were behind it. Following the fact that the James Bond film A view to a kill was partially filmed in Jökulsárlón in 1984, regular cruises with tourists began on the lagoon. And most people know the sequel. Then it was also interesting to look at the population development of the municipality and how it has fluctuated with fluctuations in tourism.
Briefly tell us about the study and its results (approx. 500 words)
In the research, I looked at the control tools that the public sector has at its disposal when it comes to licensing and contracts for access and use of land owned by the public sector for commercial purposes, but the research questions were two; 1) What administrative instruments does the Icelandic state have when it comes to the allocation of permits for the exploitation of natural wonders on land owned by the state, and 2) how can it be explained why discrimination in favor of the rural areas could be justified when awarding such contracts. In order to shed further light on the situation, Vatnajökull National Park, its economic policy and the economic activities that take place at Jökulsárlón in Breiðamerkursandi are discussed, and how commercial agreements for such activities can be used as a tool to support regional development in the countryside. Commercial contracts are contracts that the government can enter into with private parties to provide a service that the government has decided not to provide, which in this case is recreational tourism. By entering into business agreements, companies are buying the right to use certain land owned by the state for profit. When that land is in the vicinity of natural gems or popular tourist destinations, it can increase the value of the license, and it can therefore be a great financial benefit for the state, and possibly the relevant local authorities, to enter into such an agreement if only looking at the amount of the agreement. The social benefits of such agreements will be much greater when not only looking at the economic benefits that can follow such agreements. Much more, the society as a whole should be taken into account during the negotiation process. Applicants’ entrepreneurship must be assessed; have they performed the relevant service before in the area in question? It is also necessary to look at the structure that applicants for contracts have already been in, their part in the marketing of the area and the activities in question, the social policy of companies and their goals in the development and development of society. In this way, the public sector, and public institutions, can be an active participant in regional development, and social development of smaller settlements in the countryside. The controls are there, they just need to be applied correctly.
Research data was obtained by analyzing published material, such as laws and regulations, various congressional documents, reports, audits and other studies, as well as talking to people who could deepen my understanding of the subject, such as the history of tourism in the region. When analyzing the data, they were examined based on the various control tools that are generally used in administration, but as examples of other control tools that are often used, grants, social and economic rules can be mentioned. The conclusion was that the most suitable control instruments in these specific circumstances are trade agreements. Since there is the will of the government to promote regional development in the countryside, it is wise to include the socio-economic goals of communities in the negotiation process, and make them in such a way that they contribute to sustainable regional development and make smaller local companies stand higher and give them a certain advantage on larger entities that are not from the local area.
The management of Vatnajökull National Park is organized in such a way that the municipalities that own land in the national park have a considerable say in the management of the national park, both through the regional council and the national park management.
The results of the study provide good evidence for the application of management tools to achieve the goals of community sustainability. Certain lessons can therefore be drawn from the research for strategic planning and management. The National Park’s position on the issue is clear, but one of its goals is to support and promote job creation in the communities surrounding the National Park. What is missing is a clear position of the public sector to use the management tools that Vatnajökull National Park has to create in order to be a positive force in regional development in the areas affected by the national park.
