While most of Denmark's forests were replaced by fields and pastures centuries ago, and land erosion is a significant problem in many coastal areas, much of the country is covered by rich and productive soils. Iceland, by contrast, has very little forest cover, and large parts of the country are sparsely vegetated. Nevertheless, research has shown that 28%-3i% (30-36 thousand square kilometres) of the country was covered by natural woodlands when the country was settled in the late 9th century A.D., but most of it disappeared within the first two centuries of human habitation (Government of Iceland / UNFCCC, 2014). Similarly, as much as 40% of the land is believed to have been degraded by wind erosion and soil and vegetation loss after settlement (Davi'6sdottir et al.,