Iceland review - 2017, Síða 73

penetrating. Thus, algae, such as lake balls, at
the bottom don’t receive the light they need
for photosynthesis.”
Mývatn and the river Laxá, which flows
from it, have been classified and protected as
a reserve since 1974, and on UNESCO’s ten-
tative list of World Heritage Sites since 2011.
Aside from Lake Akan in Japan, and possibly
Lake Õisu in Estonia, Mývatn is the only lake
in the world where green algae called mari-
mo, or lake balls, 10-12 cm in diameter, are
found. In 2012, it was discovered that only a
few hundred of them remained while in 1978,
their number was estimated to be in the tens
of millions. In April 2013, the Environment
Agency of Iceland put Mývatn and Laxá on
its red list of areas in danger of losing their
protection status due to excessive strain, part-
ly because of an excessive inflow of nutrients
from human activities.
POPULAR PLACE
The Mývatnssveit region has seen an explosion in
tourism in recent years. The region, which is part of
the larger Skútustaðahreppur municipality, is popu-
lated by about 400 people, most of whom live in the
village of Reykjahlíð on the banks of Mývatn. The
economy in Mývatnssveit is booming; hotels have
been built and jobs created. Not benefitting from
that boom, however, is what the tourists have come
here to admire: the lake itself, and its ecosystem.
In 2010, this part of the country, Þingeyjarsýslur
counties, was visited by 143,000 tourists. Last year,
that number was 480,000. During those years, the
number of guests during winter increased 11-fold,
from 16,000 to 180,000. There are seven hotels and
guest houses operating around Mývatn, in addition
to at least seven farms that offer accommodation,
providing a total of 357 bedrooms. In addition, a
91-bedroom hotel is under construction.
E N V I R O N M E N T
In 2010,
this part
of the
country,
Þingeyjarsýslur
counties, was
visited by
143,000
tourists. Last
year, that
number was
480,000.
ICELAND REVIEW 71
The midnight sun over Ytriflói bay in Mývatn lake, seen from Reykjahlíð.