Protection Status
Hálsar in Múlaþing was designated a protected habitat for the great diving beetle (tjarnaklukka) in 2011. The protected area covers 146 hectares.
The objective of the protection designation is to preserve and maintain the natural condition of the ponds at Hálsar and to strengthen the protection of the only known habitat of the great diving beetle in Iceland, together with the area’s wider ecosystems. A further objective is to ensure opportunities for scientific research on the area’s ecosystems, with particular emphasis on the largely undisturbed habitat of the great diving beetle, recognising the area’s considerable scientific and educational value.
The decision to designate the area took into account the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention, 1979), cf. Icelandic Government Gazette C 17/1993; the Convention on Biological Diversity (Rio de Janeiro, 1992), cf. Icelandic Government Gazette C 3/1995; the European Strategy for the Conservation of Invertebrates, developed under the Bern Convention (Nature and Environment No. 145); and the 2010 Biodiversity Target of the United Nations.