Protecting the Icelandic moss

Mr. Moss - The Boss - rises from the lava fields of the Skaftárhreppur region in South Iceland, to protect the Icelandic moss.  

Mr. Moss is the voice and face of all Icelandic moss, and he stars in a funny, entertaining and educational animated short movie which shows Mr. Moss advising on how we - human beings - should change our behavior in order to protect and respect his life.  The movie is a wake-up call to all the people visiting and staying in Iceland, as well a reflection on our responsibility towards Icelandic nature and heritage. 

The idea of this project come via a transnational project collaboration called ASCENT.  The purpose of ASCENT is to promote professional procedures in constructing footpaths and tourist destinations as a whole, with nature conservation in mind.  In Iceland the project is led by Soil Conservation Service and Skaftárhreppur is taking part with special focus on Eldhraun lava field. The lava is covered with thick moss which is very sensitive to any kind of human impact. 

Bob Aitken, a Scottish specialist, came to Iceland and visited Eldhraun during the project. He came up with the idea to create a story to help protect the moss.  The Mr. Moss video is his idea brought to life. 

Mr. Moss was born in Kirkjubæjarklaustur in a synergy between VisitKlaustur.is - Centre of the South, Katla Geopark  and This is Lupina, a creative local studio in Kirkjubæjarklaustur. 

The project of Mr. Moss was funded by Ministry for the Environment and Natural Resources  The short film (1 minute 40 seconds) had its premiere in Katla Geopark Week, in an event at Kirkjubæjarklaustur, April 30, 2019.