WHO OWNS ANTARCTICA?
http://www.globalclassroom.org/antarct9.html (remove this later!!!)
Antarctica is a continent that constitutes nearly a tenth of the
world’s land, but is owned by no-one. It has no indigenous
people, no long term inhabitants, no government and no
settlements. How is this so? Why hasn’t any particular
country tried to ‘claim’ Antarctica as their own?
Thanks to the Antarctic Treaty of 1959, Antarctica cannot be ‘owned’ by any one
country, however, a number of countries have claimed territory on the continent (as
per the map below) and various others play an active role in substantial scientific
research.
The Antarctic Treaty, a highly successful international agreement, concluded that as
Antarctica is a continent of exceptional scientific importance, it called for scientific cooperation (as opposed to single/multiple country ownership) for that part of the world
that was south of 60 degrees latitude.
The Antarctic Treaty was designed to provide an agreement for the future care and
use of Antarctica, as well as the avoid territorial and other disputes. It encourages
international cooperation in scientific research - it is an extraordinary agreement that
was signed during the Cold War!
THE ANTARCTICA
TREATY
The Treaty has 14 Articles which are summarized as follows:
1. No military use shall be made of Antarctica, though military personnel and
equipment may be used for peaceful purposes.
2. There will be complete freedom of scientific investigation.
3. Antarctic Treaty Nations will exchange plans for their scientific programmes,
scientific data will be freely available and scientists will be exchanged between
expeditions where practical.
4. No activities under the Treaty will affect claims to sovereignty of any part of
Antarctica made by any nation. All territorial claims are put aside for the duration of
the Treaty.
5. Nuclear explosions and nuclear waste disposal are banned from Antarctica.
6. The Treaty applies to all land and ice shelves south of 60° South, but not to the
seas.
7. All Antarctic stations and all ships and aircraft supplying Antarctica shall be open
to inspectors from any Treaty nation.
8. Observers and exchange scientists shall be under the jurisdiction of their own
country regardless of which national station they may visit. National laws do not apply
to stations or areas, but only to the citizens of those countries.
9. Treaty nations will meet to consider ways of furthering the principles and
objectives of the Treaty. Attendance at these meetings shall be limited to those
countries that are engaged in substantial scientific research activity in Antarctica.
Unanimous approval will be necessary for any new measures to become effective
(i.e. everyone has to agree).
10. All Treaty Nations will try to ensure that no one carries out any activity in
Antarctica that is against the Treaty.
11. Any dispute by Treaty Nations, if not settled by agreement, shall be determined
by the International Court of Justice.
12. The Treaty may be modified at any time by unanimous agreement. After 30 years
any consultative Party may call for a conference to review the operation of the
Treaty. The Treaty may be modified at this conference by a majority decision.
13. The Treaty must be legally ratified (agreed to) by any nation wishing to join. Any
member of the United Nations may join as well as any other country invited to do so
by the Treaty Nations. All notices and records are deposited with the Archives of the
United States of America.
14. The Treaty translated into English, French, Russian and Spanish was signed on
1st December 1959 by 12 states and entered into force on 23rd of June 1961.
THE TREATY NATIONS
OS: Original Signatory
CP: Consultative party
- Countries that play an active role in Antarctica - are engaged in substantial scientific
research activity
- Only the consultative parties have voting rights and can make decisions about Antarctica.
AS: Acceding State - Countries that agreed to the Treaty after the original signing in 1959
State / Country
Date
Status
1
United Kingdom
31 May 1960
OS/CP
2
South Africa
21 June 1960
OS/CP
3
Belgium
26 July 1960
OS/CP
4
Japan
4 August 1960
OS/CP
5
United States of America 18 August 1960
OS/CP
6
Norway
24 August 1960
OS/CP
7
France
16 September 1960 OS/CP
8
New Zealand
1
1 November 1960
OS/CP
2 November 1960
OS/CP
9
Russia
10
Poland
8 June 1961
AS/CP
11
Argentina
23 June 1961
OS/CP
12
Australia
23 June 1961
OS/CP
13
Chile
Date when Acceding
State became
Consultative Party
29 July 1977
23 June 1961
OS/CP
Czech Republic
2
14 June 1962
AS
15
Slovak Republic
2
14 June 1952
AS
16
Denmark
20 May 1965
AS
17
Netherlands
30 March 1967
AS/CP
18
Romania
15 September 1971 AS
German Democratic
Republic 3
19 November 1974
AS/CP
5 October 1987
19
Brazil
16 May 1975
AS/CP
12 September 1983
20
Bulgaria
11 September 1978 AS/CP
25 May 1998
21
Germany, Federal
Republic of
5 February 1979
AS/CP
3 March 1981
22
Uruguay
11 January 1980
AS/CP
7 October 1985
16 March 1981
AS
18 March 1981
AS/CP
14
23
Papua New Guinea
24
Italy
4
19 November 1990
5 October 1987
25
Peru
10 April 1981
AS/CP
9 October 1989
26
Spain
31 March 1982
AS/CP
21 September 1988
27
China, People's
Republic of
8 June 1983
AS/CP
7 October 1985
28
India
19 August 1983
AS/CP
12 September 1983
29
Hungary
27 January 1984
AS
30
Sweden
24 April 1984
AS/CP
21 September 1988
31
Finland
15 May 1984
AS/CP
9 October 1989
32
Cuba
16 August 1984
AS
33
Korea, Republic of
28 November 1986
AS/CP
34
Greece
8 January 1987
AS
35
Korea, Democratic
People's Republic of
21 January 1987
AS
36
Austria
25 August 1987
AS
37
Ecuador
15 September 1987 AS/CP
38
Canada
4 May 1988
AS
39
Colombia
31 January 1989
AS
40
Switzerland
15 November 1990
AS
41
Guatemala
31 July 1991
AS
42
Ukraine
28 October 1992
AS
43
Turkey
25 January 1996
AS
9 October 1989
19 November 1990
Notes
1
Known as the Soviet Union until December 1990.
Succeeded to the Treaty as part of Czechoslovakia which separated into two republics on 1
January 1993.
3
Became united with Federal Republic of Germany on 3 October 1990 (now known as
Germany).
4
Succeeded to the Treaty after independence from Australia.
2
ACTIVITY: TOURING ANTARCTICA
http://www.linkingforlearning.com/webquests/Antarctica%20Webquest/
(DELETE THIS LATER!!!!!) Introduction:
Antarctica is one of the last unspoilt environments on Earth, relatively untouched by
humans. As modern technology allows more and more people to visit this beautiful
wilderness the risk of damage and pollution becomes an increasing threat. Yet the
more people that visit the continent the more people are aware of the beauty and
fragility of the this precious resource.
Can we afford to increase the level of tourism in Antarctica? Can we afford not to?
In this activity you will work in small groups establish the environmental impact of a
proposed increase in tourism to Antarctica from the point of view of a number of
interested parties.
You will present your group’s conclusion as to whether you believe (based on your
findings) that the planned increase should be permitted to occur.
The Task:
A new tour Company – Antarctic Adventures – wants to establish monthly trekking
tours to the Antarctic from November to February each year. Each trek will have up
to 100 trekkers plus staff, totalling up to 400 trekkers plus staff over the four month
period.
The countries that are part of the Antarctic Treaty have requested that an
Environmental Impact Assessment Team be established to determine the effect (on
animals and environment) of such treks occurring, and to write a thorough report on
their findings.
The Environmental Impact Assessment Team will consist of:
- Tour Operator from Antarctic Adventures
- An Environmentalist
- A Scientist
- A Politician
The report must be supported with factual information, and ultimately present a valid
argument that is either for, or against the proposed tours.
Process:
Step 1:
You will work together in a group of 8. Within the group of 8, you will divide into
pairs, with each pair taking on the role of Tour Operator, Environmentalist, Scientist
and Politician.
Use the webpages provided, along with any other resources you can find to gather
information for your report. Each pair will need to create an ‘Environmental Impact
Assessment’ in relation to their specific role, using the EIA guide attached.
www.iaato.org/guidelines.html
www.iaato.org/tourism_stats.html
www.aad.gov.au/
www.coolantarctica.com
www.anta.canterbury.ac.nz
Search these web pages for keywords like ‘tourism’ and ‘environment’, etc to find
relevant information.
Alternatively use any other web pages (there are many to choose from!) that you can
find that will assist with your report.
Make sure you make note of which web pages you are using, so that these can be
used in your references.
PLEASE NOTE: It is important that you do not consult with other pairs within your
group about your findings, until Step 3.
Step 2:
Use the ‘Environmental Impact Assessment’ sheet provided to help you develop an
opinion about the views of your role. All of your answers must be based on factual
information that you have found in your research.
Consider the following:
As the TOUR OPERATOR you want your project to get approval to go ahead. You are intending to prepare your tourists well so that they will be responsible and cause minimal impact to the Antarctic continent. You also believe that by increasing the number of tourists to Antarctica, you are increasing the number of people who are captivated by this frozen wilderness and therefore have a vested interest in its conservation. Consider the following questions to assist you in developing an argument to support your decision to take 400 tourist trekkers over a period of four months. 1. What preparation will you give the tourists regarding their environmental responsibilities? 2. What are the breeding seasons of land‐based animals that you may encounter? Will the timing of you treks coincide with this? If so, what effect will this have and what precautions will you take? 3. What will your trekkers sleep in, cook with, bathe with etc? How will you ensure their health and safety in this extreme environment? 4. Will you be creating any ‘rubbish’ from your trekkers food, vehicles and human waste? How do you plan to dispose of your rubbish? 5. Do any other tours to Antarctica exist already? Why should YOU be allowed to take so many extra people to this unique and fragile area? As an ENVIRONMENTALIST you are concerned at the number of tourists that already visit Antarctica. Consider the following questions to help you develop a report about the impact of trekking tourists on the wildlife, the plantlife and the general environment in Antarctica. Use your findings to either support or refuse the proposal of 'Antarctic Adventures'. 1) What flora, fauna or natural features would be threatened by this increased land‐
based tourism to Antarctica? 2. Is this threat considerable enough to be a problem or could it be managed? How could it be managed to minimise impact? 3. Why should we look after Antarctica? What's so special about it? 4. Develop some guidelines that you would propose for trekking tours giving attention to such details as time of year, length of stay, vehicles used, disposal of rubbish. As a SCIENTIST you have been involved in research in Antarctica for over twenty years. During that time you have seen a huge increase in the number of people visiting the region. From your position you may feel that increased tourism is threatening important research projects. You believe scientific research is more important than tourism. Use the following questions to produce a report indicating the effects of scientific research to support your argument of science being more important than tourism: 1. What sort of experiments do scientists conduct in Antarctica? 2. Does this work have much of an impact on the environment? For example, what sorts of vehicles are used? Do you disturb the wildlife? Do they leave pollution? 3. Is it important that Antarctica be kept as a research area? Why? 4. Will these proposed trekking tours affect any scientific projects? If so, how? Antarctica has no universally recognised owners, and therefore does not belong to any one country. As a POLITICIAN you receive pressure from all groups using and working in Antarctica to support their purposes. You want to get re‐elected at the next election so you need to do your best to keep everybody happy. Consider the following questions and develop a report on the legal obligations of people who use Antarctica for any reason. 1. What treaties and laws are in place to protect the region? 2. What is the purpose of these treaties and laws? 3. How many tourists have been to Antarctica in recent years? Are there any noticeable trends? Should we worry about the numbers? 4. What actions would you suggest that would enable the trekking to continue in harmony with scientific and environmental activities? Can they all exist together? Could tourists be involved in useful projects to preserve our Antarctic heritage? Is there a project that you can suggest? Step 3: Now that you have considered and written your EIA from the point of view of your specific role, present your findings to the rest of your group. As an entire group, you must now collaborate to come up with one EIA that either supports or refutes the proposed trekking tours. This report must be a combination of all findings to result in the outcome that your group as a whole thinks is best. Remember the final report must be based on factual evidence. NOTE: you will not all agree on all points, but you must work together as a group to come up with a final report that recommends or refutes the proposed trekking tours. Step 4: You be required to give a copy of your final EIA to your classmates (written) and present to them a summary of your findings via a powerpoint presentation (of at least 10 minutes) outlining the major reasons behind your decision. This presentation will need to include the following: - Antarctica background - Reason for Antarctica’s importance (from your groups point of view) - Presentation of your final decision (based on factual information) and the reasons behind your choice ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ASSESSMENT
Also known as an an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA).
An environmental impact assessment (EIA) is an assessment of the possible
impact—positive or negative—that a proposed project may have on the natural
environment.
The purpose of the assessment is to ensure that decision makers consider the
ensuing environmental impacts to decide whether to proceed with the project.
Your EIA should be structured as follows: Introduction: - 100 – 200 words - Introduce the scenario - Introduction to members of team, and their relationship to Antarctica Statement of Intention: - 100 – 200 words - Reasons behind the implementation of an EIR (ie: purpose) - What you intend to do with findings Research: - No word limit - Explanation of how/where you researched - Include all websites, books, etc that you used, citing title, author and brief description of resource Findings: - 200+ words, per answer - this is where you present the answers to all questions posed, specific to your role - include ANY other findings you feel relevant, that may/may not relate to questions listed Summary: - minimum 200 words - presentation of your final conclusion - statement of your conclusion, along with reasons for your conclusion