Human resilience in South Iceland Katla UNESCO Global Geopark
Where we are
Katla is a UNESCO Global Geopark situated in central south Iceland, surrounded by black volcanic beaches in the south and highlands in the north. Ice-capped active volcanoes, tuff mountains and black beaches are some of the features attracting a big number of tourists yearly. This unique area with its high geographical diversity of great geological heritage presents high risks related to various natural hazards
Territory
The role of intangible and tangible heritage is of great strength when increasing awareness regarding survival of natural hazards. Throughout history, this has been traditionally been done through storytelling. Today, Katla UNESCO Global Geopark has established a network with municipalities and governmental agencies to provide guidance and assistance to local population and tourist on how to protect themselves and cooperate with rescue squads during and after a disaster event. This is done with the same principals as the traditional way, with the help of storytelling.
Rural Heritage
The hub of Katla is found at the venue Kirkjubæjarstofa, located in the village of Kirkjubæjarklaustur. Kirkjubæjarstofa is fully equipped with all necessities and as an already established gathering point for local networks it is a well-suitable hub.
