RIF Field Station

Research station is a non-profit organisation named after the peninsula of Rif, the northernmost part of Iceland. Rif Field Station is managed by the Northeast Iceland Nature Research Centre.

Contact

Station Manager Pedro Rodrigues: pedro[at]rifresearch.is

Location

The station is located in Raufarhöfn, a small village on the northeast coast of Melrakkaslétta peninsula in Northeast  Iceland. The peninsula is the northernmost lowland area in Iceland, only 3 km south from the Arctic Circle. The northern part is an important area for conservation, especially as a habitat for many bird species. The area has no protection status according to the Nature Conservation Act but is listed as an internationally Important Bird Area (IBA) by BirdLife International and as an area that should be protected in the Icelandic Nature Conservation Register (Icel. náttúruminjaskrá – Melrakkaslétta nr. 538). Most of the area is privately owned but some of the abandoned farms are owned by the government, including the old farm Rif.

Website

https://rifrannsoknir.wordpress.com
https://eu-interact.org/field-sites/rif-field-station/

Facilities

Rif Field Station was established in 2014. To start with the station is housed in a three-floor building, partly run as a guesthouse. Accommodation is available for 6 – 8 persons. This includes two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room and a bathroom. Storage facilities are located in the basement. RFS is currently preparing a simple laboratory in the local school building, where working space and storage will be provided. One Leica EZ4 W stereo microscope is available free for everyone to use. Accommodation for larger groups can be available in the guesthouse. Telephone and Internet access. In Raufarhöfn there is a grocery store, hotel restaurant, coffee shop, bank, post office, health care center and a swimming pool. The Rif Field Station will be open to all scientists and students.

Availability for access

Time frame for access preparation

Permits, licenses and training

Under Act No. 60/1992, natural history specimens may not be exported from Iceland except with the permission of the Icelandic Institute of Natural History and under the conditions set by the Institute on each occasion. The same applies to micro-organisms originating in geothermal areas and their genetic material.

The Institute is responsible for evaluating whether a natural history specimen is unique or rare enough to constitute an Icelandic national treasure, which under no circumstances may be exported. Examples may include rare minerals and fossils.

The Icelandic Institute of Natural History is responsible for bird ringing in Iceland under Act No. 64/1994 on the protection, conservation and hunting of birds and wild mammals. The IINH has the sole authority to ring or otherwise mark wild birds in Iceland.Bird ringing is carried out by bird enthusiasts and ornithologists who have received the necessary ringing permit.

Medical guidelines

No medical guidelines.