Nature is vast in the Westfjords. For decades, the region has seen its population shrink. Today, it counts 7,200 people in an area half the size of that of Switzerland, a country with 9 million inhabitants. Most human settlements in the Westfjords sit on narrow strips of land in between mountains and fjords as expressed so powerfully by local author Njörður P. Njarðvík in his poem "Here The Land Is Naked". Nature’s vastness can make human beings appear small and exposed.

Even in the Westfjords, however, human activity is shaping the environment. The region, located close to the Arctic Circle, experiences strong effects from anthropogenic climate change. Warming has been more than 2.5 times the global average in recent decades, affecting both land and sea [1]. In the future, climate change could lead to a slowdown or collapse of the Atlantic overturning circulation, resulting in much colder temperatures in Iceland than today [2]. In addition, local economic activity leaves its marks in the environment. Fishing has become more industrial, cruise tourism has been growing rapidly, and ever more aquaculture pens are conquering the fjords. It is a vast but inhabited space [Interview 6].

The region’s capital Ísafjörður exemplifies how the ongoing transformations connect to diverse kinds of knowledge. The town—vibrant in its unpretentious way—hosts a local art scene, a fast-growing biotechnology company, and a small university center. The center focuses on sustainability-related higher education mostly attended by international students and has become a platform for research focused on social-ecological dynamics and conducted in close collaboration with local communities [Interview 12]. The Westfjords are thus an ideal place for reflecting on the role of science in human-environment relations.