Eiði-2: Environmental Impact Assessment

Main conclusions: Several biological indicators suggested that the area Eiði-1 (drained area) is drier than Eiði-2. The heath community was more frequent in Eiði-1 with a richer representation of lichens. In Eiði-1, there were higher frequencies of woody species and waxcaps. Eiði-1 also had higher nutrient contents in the soil, which might indicate that the soil organic matter has started to decompose due to drying. Ground beetles with preferences for humid conditions were also more frequent above the intakes in Eiði-1 than below. These differences may be a result of the draining of Eiði-1 since 1987, but there are no previous investigations with permanent plots that can verify this interpretation. An alternative interpretation is that both areas could have been different from the beginning. Both areas are also grazed and different grazing pressure may have caused some of the differences observed.
More definite answers to the effect of draining on the ecosystem will require investigations that are continued over the first periods of drainage and repeated until the ecosystem has reached a new balance.