大象传媒

Iceland is fed up of disrespectful Instagrammers ruining nature

tourist-on-cliff-icelandImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Tourist boards in Iceland are not happy with social media influencers disrespecting wildlife

Iceland is not happy with influencers who destroy habitats trying to take pictures for Instagram.

The scenic Nordic country has long been a popular place to visit, with more than 10 million images tagged on Instagram.

However, the Tourist board Visit Iceland has launched a number of campaigns to encourage tourists to be more responsible when visiting the country.

This comes after influencers were found to be trampling on Icelandic moss to take pictures for Instagram.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Icelandic moss is an important part of the ecosystem

Icelandic moss is very fragile and can die if trampled on. It plays an important role in the environment, protecting the soil from erosion, and is home to lots of tiny microorganisms.

Tourists were also found to have crossed safety barriers to take pictures on cliff edges, flown drones over wild horses - frightening them - sat on glaciers and even peed in the local countryside.

Image source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Volunteers from ICE-SAR's Hella mountain rescue team work to rescue tourists

The Environment Minister Gudmundur Ingi Gudbrandsson is worried that if followers try to copy what the influencers are doing it will cause more damage to the environment over time.

He said: "It's a shame Instagrammers behave like this - especially landscape/adventure 'photographers' who seem to be so close to the natural world and love the outdoors, but then seem to forget or fail when it comes to the simplest understanding of laws to protect it.

"So I always ask myself, is it about likes and themselves or do they really care about the planet and nature?"