Skúvoy - Ramsar island

Due to its rich birdlife, with many breeding species, Skúvoy is categorized as a Ramsar island. 

Being a Ramsar island means that special measures are taken to protect the wildlife and nature under the framework of the intergovernmental treaty “Convention on the Wetlands” from 1971. The convention entered into force in Denmark in 1978 and as the Faroe Islands being a part of the Danish Kingdom it also covered the Faroe Islands. One of the things that makes Skúvoy special is that neither rats, mice nor cats are on the islands, and therefore many birds are nesting closer to the village, than in other places. The local people of Skúvoy and the national Faroese Environment Agency work together on planning the actions to uphold this status. This means that hiking on Skúvoy is organized to disturb the wildlife as little as possible and there are special rules about sailing close to the birdcliffs around the island. These rules should be respected at all times.

Rat-free island

One of the reasons for the rich birdlife in Skúvoy is, that neither rats, mice nor cats live on the island. If rats and mice come to a rat-free island it has fatal consequences for the birdlife and will mean that the population of birds will decrease drastically, as is has been on other former rat-free islands on the Faroe Islands. Therefore everyone traveling to Skúvoy, should take precautions and inspect all goods before bringing it to Skúvoy either with the helicopter or by boat.

Sailing restrictions

From 15. April to 31. August boats are not allowed to sail faster than 8 nautical mph in a distance of 500m from land on Skúvoy, Mykines and parts of Nólsoy. Unnecessary noise, such as loud music and sailing with jet skis is also prohibited. 

There are three Ramsar sites on the Faroe Islands - Skúvoy, Mykines and parts of Nólsoy