The Assessment of Land-Based Expeditionary Activities
The Representatives,
Concerned that poorly planned and executed land-based activities, particularly those undertaken in remote areas of Antarctica, have the potential to present risks to safety of life;
Concerned also to ensure that activities in remote and less well-studied areas of Antarctica do not have any adverse impacts on unique environmental attributes;
Recalling the Environmental Principles contained in Article 3 of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty;
Recalling also Resolution 3 (2004), Resolution 4 (2004), Resolution 5 (2007) and Resolution 7 (2009);
Noting the increasing interest in land-based expeditionary activities, particularly as a result of the recent centenaries of Amundsen and Scott’s expeditions to the South Pole of 1911/12;
Desiring to ensure that all such activities are assessed in a consistent and thorough way, in respect of their environmental, safety and operational procedures;
Recommend that:
the Parties, consistent with their national law and as they consider appropriate, utilise the attached Questions to consider as part of the authorisation or comparable regulatory process for non-Governmental land-based activities in Antarctica when assessing proposed land-based expeditionary activities to be undertaken in Antarctica.
The Representatives,
Concerned that poorly planned and executed land-based activities, particularly those undertaken in remote areas of Antarctica, have the potential to present risks to safety of life;
Concerned also to ensure that activities in remote and less well-studied areas of Antarctica do not have any adverse impacts on unique environmental attributes;
Recalling the Environmental Principles contained in Article 3 of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty;
Recalling also Resolution 3 (2004), Resolution 4 (2004), Resolution 5 (2007) and Resolution 7 (2009);
Noting the increasing interest in land-based expeditionary activities, particularly as a result of the recent centenaries of Amundsen and Scott’s expeditions to the South Pole of 1911/12;
Desiring to ensure that all such activities are assessed in a consistent and thorough way, in respect of their environmental, safety and operational procedures;
Recommend that:
the Parties, consistent with their national law and as they consider appropriate, utilise the attached Questions to consider as part of the authorisation or comparable regulatory process for non-Governmental land-based activities in Antarctica when assessing proposed land-based expeditionary activities to be undertaken in Antarctica.
