PROMOTION OF INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC COOPERATION
The Representatives,
Recalling Articles II and III of the Antarctic Treaty and Recommendations relating to the facilitation of international scientific cooperation;
Recognising the increasing importance of Antarctica for scientific research, especially for the global environment;
Noting that the number of countries actively involved in Antarctic scientific research has increased considerably in recent years;
Recognising that this development has led to a concentration of research stations and of logistical support facilities in the more easily accessible regions of Antarctica and that this can lead to redundancy in scientific programmes and to unfavourable impact on the environment;
Conscious of the need to maximise the scientific output for a minimum of environmental impact;
Conscious that the sophistication and therefore the cost of many Antarctic scientific programmes is increasing and that some Consultative Parties are more able than others to bear the cost of such sophisticated programmes;
Recognising the scientific importance of environmental monitoring programmes in the broadest sense and that without these programmes many advances in Antarctic science which are of global significance would not be possible;
Recognising the need to encourage timeliness, relevance and excellence in the pursuit of Antarctic science and the importance of inter-comparability and accuracy in integrated research programmes to the end that the contributions to knowledge of these programmes may be greater than the sum of their constituent parts;
Desiring to promote efficiency in the utilisation of scarce resources;
Noting that the promotion of international scientific cooperation in Antarctic research is the basic objective of SCAR’s activities and warmly welcoming SCAR’s commitment to the holding of an unprecedented Antarctic Science Conference in 1991 designed to foster interdisciplinary discussion and science planning amongst Antarctic scientists, and the integration of Antarctic research into global programmes and the strengthening of the interaction of Antarctic science, represented by SCAR, with the international science community;
Recommend to their Governments that:
1. They take such steps as may be open to them to encourage participation in the SCAR Antarctic Science Conference in 1991 on the part of their Antarctic communities and take note of its results.
2. All Contracting Parties, in planning Antarctic activities, should seek through consultation within the Antarctic science community, to take account of the scientific objectives of SCAR.
3. Through their national committees, they invite SCAR to:
(a) facilitate the participation in its activities of representatives from Antarctic scientific communities with less experience or fewer resources; and
(b) consider identifying, by scientific discipline and geographical area, scientific topics, including data gathering and environmental monitoring, by which countries with less experience or fewer resources would best be able to ensure that their activity contributed to knowledge of Antarctica to the benefit of all.
4. That those with longer and wider experience of Antarctic science and logistics should, as far as practicable and feasible, favorably consider requests for advice, training and participation in their national Antarctic programmes from those with less experience, and otherwise encourage cooperation with their programmes.
5. Generally, they should seek by all means open to them to promote the objectives of Article III of the Antarctic Treaty.
The Representatives,
Recalling Articles II and III of the Antarctic Treaty and Recommendations relating to the facilitation of international scientific cooperation;
Recognising the increasing importance of Antarctica for scientific research, especially for the global environment;
Noting that the number of countries actively involved in Antarctic scientific research has increased considerably in recent years;
Recognising that this development has led to a concentration of research stations and of logistical support facilities in the more easily accessible regions of Antarctica and that this can lead to redundancy in scientific programmes and to unfavourable impact on the environment;
Conscious of the need to maximise the scientific output for a minimum of environmental impact;
Conscious that the sophistication and therefore the cost of many Antarctic scientific programmes is increasing and that some Consultative Parties are more able than others to bear the cost of such sophisticated programmes;
Recognising the scientific importance of environmental monitoring programmes in the broadest sense and that without these programmes many advances in Antarctic science which are of global significance would not be possible;
Recognising the need to encourage timeliness, relevance and excellence in the pursuit of Antarctic science and the importance of inter-comparability and accuracy in integrated research programmes to the end that the contributions to knowledge of these programmes may be greater than the sum of their constituent parts;
Desiring to promote efficiency in the utilisation of scarce resources;
Noting that the promotion of international scientific cooperation in Antarctic research is the basic objective of SCAR’s activities and warmly welcoming SCAR’s commitment to the holding of an unprecedented Antarctic Science Conference in 1991 designed to foster interdisciplinary discussion and science planning amongst Antarctic scientists, and the integration of Antarctic research into global programmes and the strengthening of the interaction of Antarctic science, represented by SCAR, with the international science community;
Recommend to their Governments that:
1. They take such steps as may be open to them to encourage participation in the SCAR Antarctic Science Conference in 1991 on the part of their Antarctic communities and take note of its results.
2. All Contracting Parties, in planning Antarctic activities, should seek through consultation within the Antarctic science community, to take account of the scientific objectives of SCAR.
3. Through their national committees, they invite SCAR to:
(a) facilitate the participation in its activities of representatives from Antarctic scientific communities with less experience or fewer resources; and
(b) consider identifying, by scientific discipline and geographical area, scientific topics, including data gathering and environmental monitoring, by which countries with less experience or fewer resources would best be able to ensure that their activity contributed to knowledge of Antarctica to the benefit of all.
4. That those with longer and wider experience of Antarctic science and logistics should, as far as practicable and feasible, favorably consider requests for advice, training and participation in their national Antarctic programmes from those with less experience, and otherwise encourage cooperation with their programmes.
5. Generally, they should seek by all means open to them to promote the objectives of Article III of the Antarctic Treaty.
