Prize Winner 1998

The "Jarðvegsvernd" project led by Dr. Ólafur Arnalds, Iceland

The "Jarðvegsvernd" project led by Dr. Ólafur Arnalds was awarded the prize for "its outstanding dissemination of knowledge of the erosion of earth in Iceland and the importance of protecting arable land in the Nordic countries and in the world at large".

The Adjudication Committee emphasised that this is an information project which has contributed fundamentally to Icelanders' knowledge of earth erosion and created an understanding of the serious state that the country is in, and taught the population how to deal with this constructively.

The project has also created a basis for Iceland's active participation in the EU's programmes in this area and in the UN's "Convention to Combat desertification". The Adjudication Committee also focused on the fact that this is a dissemination project which reaches out to a wide circle with a serious message that it is topical both at home and abroad".