Preserve Iceland's biggest national park and glacier from resorts

Huang Nubo, a chinese business tycoon, is hoping to buy a huge amount of land - 300km2 of north-east Iceland (0,3% of Iceland's total) - for $8 million, to build a luxury hotel, a resort, and a golf for $100 million. 

The area, known as Grimsstadir a Fjöllum, is located a few kilometers north of Vatnajokull, the largest glacier in the world, in an area with only a few bed and breakfast.  

In addition to destroying the homogeneity of the Icelandic countryside, based on nature in the wild and tranquility of the surroundings - a luxurious resort will contain hundreds or even thousands of tourists - new roads will surely be created, thereby increasing automobile traffic in the area, and therefore pollution. 

Mr. Huang is the Chairman of the Zhongdian Investment Group, and has been also reported as an ancient minister in the Chinese Central Propaganda Department and Ministry of Construction. 

A chinese blog reports : 

"Many of China's Most Famous tourist sites are managed by politically-connected business like Beijing Zhongdian Investment Corp, which earned by more than $ 600 million in 206 running as Hungchun such sites in Anhui Province and Tibet near Zhongdian in Yunnan. The company is notorious for cheating villagers whose land is developed for tourism and giving them very little of the hefty admission fees they charge tourists. The sites are themselves often developing in a way ugly and that is not culturally sensitive. Beijing Zhondian is controlled by Huang Nubo, to form Communist Party Propaganda Department section chief. He is sais to worth over $500 million. "

In addition, the area is near a deep water port and has no coastal zone - which is surprising for a resort, isn't it ? 

Indeed, it is also the enormity of the project that raises questions : the size of the coveted land seems disproportionate to install a tourist complex. 

Therefore, the Institue for Peace Research Stockholm Internantional noted in a February 2011 report : "While the Arctic ice melt, Beijing is seeking new trade routes through the North Atlantic, which would allow shorter distances to reach the United States. "

If global warming continues, the island could become a hub, however interesting on a trade route Asia-North America... 

Lands around the world had been bought up by chinese interests in recent years and there is concern that the planned purchase of Grimsstadir a Fjollum, in the remote north-east of the country, would offer a foothold in a region that could become an important staging if retreating ice cover post leads to the oil and gas industry moving into the Arctic. 

For now, Huang Nubo signed a provisional contract to purchase the land. However, since some parts of the land owned by the Icelandic government, the transaction still need government approval. 

Iceland, paradise of wildlife and flora, is threatened by this project that will significantly reduce long-term local biodiversity, which is one of the latest of the world - at this stage of diversity. 

Because Ecology and Economy can move forward together, vote for a project that saves local biodiversity by voting against those who want to destroy it. 

An ecopositive activist