The UBA assesses whether a planned project or journey to Antarctica poses a threat to animal species or their populations. However, the current state of knowledge about whales in Antarctica is limited. UBA is therefore providing funding for projects to close these knowledge gaps.
The oceans surrounding Antarctica are among the few regions in the world where there is little underwater noise caused by human activities. An UBA study shows that the scientific use of airguns can emit noise in to this sanctuary at distances of 2000 kilometres which may reduce the naturally available communication range of blue and fin whales to as little as 1%.
Whales and seals depend on their sense of hearing for survival. Man-made underwater sounds can impair their hearing in both the short and long term, displace them from vital habitats, cause a change in important patterns of behaviour and thereby deteriorate the survival capacity of these marine mammals.
The Federal Environment Agency evaluates the potential environmental impact of human activities in the Antarctic. These activities include research projects, art projects, touristic sailing trips or journalists' travel. Environmental monitoring is a key tool for assessment of the possible effects of these various activities.
What the polar bear is to the Arctic, the penguin is to the Antarctic. Of the 18 penguin species there are in the world, five of them breed only in the Antarctic. The region has more to offer than the sight of these charming flightless birds. Although there is not such a large of number of species at the southern end of the world, many kinds of animals have adapted to the harsh living conditions.
