Grunnafjörður Nature Reserve (Ramsar)

Coastal nature reserve and Ramsar wetland northeast of Akranes in west Iceland (estuary, mudflats, mussel banks and saltmarsh) - the only coastal/marine-bordering Ramsar site in Iceland. Protected since 1996; it is an internationally important staging, wintering and breeding area for waterbirds. Visits to the islands and skerries are prohibited from 15 April to 15 July, and all land is privately owned so access otherwise requires landowner permission. As a protected coastal reserve focused on the shallow-water/intertidal ecosystem, extractive activity such as spearfishing is not sanctioned.