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Last changed: 25/06/2008
Protecting the Antarctic is an international responsibility, which the national institutions of the States Parties to the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty PDF / 217 KB discharge jointly as set out in the Protocol. Thus, the German Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt - UBA) is actively involved in international meetings and conferences and organises international workshops (see also Events and Publications). UBA is the national contact point for the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP Contact Point) of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM). It plays an active part in this body: in conjunction with Chile it chairs the International Working Group for the Fildes Peninsula Region (IWG for Fildes Peninsula Region) and in conjunction with the Netherlands it heads the Discussion Forum of Competent Authorities (DFCA) and tables proposals or applications in the form of Information or Working Papers that have been nationally agreed. In this way, national proposals and new findings, from research projects for example, are fed into the international environmental policy of the Consultative Parties to the Antarctic Treaty. See flow chart PDF / 75 KB.
The steering body for the Antarctic Treaty is the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM), which has been held annually since 1993. Under Article IX of the Antarctic Treaty, Consultative Parties have voting rights. Only those Parties to the Treaty that have demonstrated their particular interest in Antarctica through significant scientific research have Consultative Party status. At the ATCM meetings, a broad exchange of information takes place among the Parties to the Treaty and the participating NGOs. There are currently 46 Parties to the Treaty, 32 of which have ratified the Protocol on Environmental Protection; 28 have consultative status. The aim of the meetings is to decide on measures to protect the Antarctic and recommend these to the governments of the Consultative Parties for implementation. Under Article XI of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (the Environmental Protocol), the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) was set up. It also meets once a year in conjunction with the ATCM and makes recommendation to the Parties to the Treaty regarding translation of the Environmental Protocol and its Annexes into national law. Resolutions passed at CEP meetings are subject to approval by the ATCM. The Environmental Protocol, including Annex I ”Environmental Impact Assessment,” Annex II ”Conservation Of Antarctic Fauna And Flora,” Annex III ”Waste Disposal And Waste Management” and Annex IV ”Prevention Of Marine Pollution,” entered into force on 14 January 1998. In 1991, the XVIth ATCM meeting in Bonn passed Annex V ”Area Protection and Management,” which came into force on 24 May 2002. In 2005, the XXVIIth ATCM in Stockholm passed Annex VI – known as the liability annex – which to date only Sweden has enacted in national law.
To facilitate a discussion of national practice when evaluating activities internationally, the German Federal Environment Agency (Umweltbundesamt – UBA) sought contact with the Competent Authorities of other signatories to the Antarctic Treaty. The positive response led in 2005 to a joint initiative launched by the Netherlands and Germany: the Discussion Forum of Competent Authorities (DFCA). The aim of this forum, which is jointly led by the Netherlands and Germany, is to facilitate an open and comprehensive exchange of information between the Competent Authorities of the signatories to the Antarctic Treaty.
On 27/28 November 2006, a workshop of the Antarctic Competent Authorities took place in Berlin at the invitation of the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU). It began with the participating Parties to the Treaty giving presentations on how they had transposed the Environmental Protocol into national law. From this it emerged, for example, that the Parties to the Treaty had enacted the Environmental Protocol in different ways: by direct application of the Protocol, by creating a separate piece of national legislation or by incorporating it into existing legislation. Most Parties to the Treaty accept the permits of other Parties to the Treaty and distinguish between scientific and non-scientific activities. There are also a range of country-specific views in the practice of evaluating possible environmental impacts. All Parties present recognised a need to coordinate permitting procedures for multilateral activities, where several Parties to the Treaty are involved in evaluating the impact of cumulative effects and in implementing the site guidelines for tourist landings in Antarctica. An NGO representative also took the opportunity to present the critical view of his environmental organisation that the individual Parties to the Treaty exhibit shortcomings in their application of the provisions of the Protocol on Environmental Protection. Participants saw the forum as an appropriate instrument for exchanging information between the Competent Authorities and unanimously welcomed the idea of continuing it. The information and facts gathered at the workshop create a good basis for this. The idea is that further meetings to continue the discussion among the Competent Authorities should take place on the fringe of CEP meetings, to enable all Parties to the Treaty to participate.
The ATCM working group on tourism is discussing possible regulation of tourist activities in Antarctica. At the 30th meeting in New Delhi in 2007, the Parties to the Treaty passed for the first time two ATCM resolutions to restrict tourism.
One resolution applies to ship-based tourism, although a minority of Parties to the Treaty – primarily Japan and Argentina – spoke out against a political decision based on a preventive approach. The resolution stipulates that ships carrying more than 500 passengers may not make landings. Furthermore, only one ship may be anchored at a landing site at any one time, no more than 100 passengers may go ashore at the same time, and there must be at least one trained guide for every 20 passengers to accompany them ashore. This resolution is to be seen as merely a first step towards regulating cruise ship tourism intended to incorporate into ATCM the guidelines drawn up by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) that are already binding on their members.
There are clear differences of opinion on the restriction of new permanent tourist infrastructure in Antarctica. For example, the vast majority of Parties to the Treaty reject the creation of tourist infrastructure (e.g. hotels). However, Argentina would like to use available space at stations for tourist purposes, whereby it is not clear whether new build measures are meant by that, something that is rejected by most Parties to the Antarctic Treaty. This led to strong protest from the other Parties to the Treaty. Nevertheless, the Conference achieved a second resolution as a compromise. This resolution recommends that any tourism activities that may substantially contribute to the long-term degradation of the Antarctic environment and its dependent and associated ecosystems be discouraged.
These two resolutions are a first step towards restricting tourism and protecting the Antarctic environment. However, further steps – and above all legally binding steps – must be taken at future ATCMs to minimise the negative impacts of tourism.
In view of recent accidents, the safety of shipping in Antarctica was also an important topic for the tourism working party. To achieve this, an improvement in cooperation internally and with other competent international organisations (e.g. International Maritime Organisation - IMO) is necessary so that regulations can be developed.
The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research was set up in 1958 to continue the successful cooperation in Antarctic research that had begun in 1957/58, International Geophysical Year. This international NGO belongs to ICSU (International Council of Scientific Unions) and is a scientific advisor to the Parties to the Antarctic Treaty. SCAR’s remit is to develop, coordinate and promote scientific programmes for Antarctica. It advises the Parties to the Antarctic Treaty by issuing recommendations. However, these recommendations do not become binding until the Consultative Parties pass a resolution adopting them. For more information on this, please go to SCAR.
SCAR’s highest body is its Executive Committee, headed by the SCAR President (Chris Rapley, BAS, Cambridge). SCAR’s secretariat is housed in the building of the Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge, UK.
The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators, founded in 1991 by seven companies with the aim of promoting and practising safe and environmentally responsible tourism in Antarctica, has a membership comprising over 80% of all operators worldwide. IAATO currently has more than 80 members from different countries. They protect the unique natural environment of the Antarctic by drawing up ambitious environmental and safety guidelines and making a voluntary commitment to adhere to them. IAATO regulations cover, for example, maximum numbers of visitors, minimum distance from breeding birds to be respected and protection of native fauna and flora. Thus, some of these regulations go further than those of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. IAATO’s self-regulation has been highly successful in recent years and has meant that the tourism practices by IAATO members have left relatively few marks on the sensitive ecosystem. For more information please visit IAATO.