Global IssuesTourism, Climate Change - Threats to Antarctic Wilderness
Too many tourists and too much climate change are the main concerns of environmental organisations and the governments of signatory countries of the Antarctic Treaty, which came into effect 50 years ago.
At the 34th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, being held in Buenos Aires for two weeks from Jun. 20, some 300 member country representatives, experts and activists are analysing the new challenges facing the frozen continent.
Verónica Cirelli, of the Argentine Wildlife Foundation (FVSA), attending the meeting as a representative of civil society, told IPS there is concern about the 'severe impact' of rising global temperatures on the region.
'Greenhouse gas emissions, responsible for global warming, are not generated in Antarctica, but their effects are being felt there, west of the Antarctic Peninsula,' said Cirelli, who coordinates the FVSA Antarctic and Southern Ocean programme.
The scientific experts on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) said in their 2007 Assessment Report that the West Antarctic Peninsula has warmed more than four times faster than the average rate on the rest of the planet.
Although there have been more headlines about the impact of warming on the Arctic, experts maintain that sea ice in Antarctica today covers 40 percent less surface than it did 26 years ago off the West Antarctic Peninsula.
Climate change is having a major impact on Antarctic species like Adelie penguins (Pygoscelis adeliae) and Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri), as well as on krill, shrimp-like crustaceans at the lower end of the food chain that are a diet staple of many species of whales.
Cirelli said the states party to the Antarctic Treaty have observed an 'alarming growth of tourism' in the region. Although tourism should not be banned, it should be regulated so that the fragile continent is preserved in its pristine state, she said.
The Antarctic Treaty Secretariat, established in 2004 in Buenos Aires, reports that approximately 46,000 people visit the continent each year, leaving their footprint on it.
The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC), made up of about 150 environmental organisations from different countries, says that tourist cruises, which have been undertaken since 1950, multiplied 'dramatically' in the 1990s.
In the southern hemisphere summer of 1990-1991, 4,698 tourists reached Antarctica in ships and planes, but that number rose to 36,875 during the 2009-2010 season, according to ASOC, to which FVSA belongs.
'Tourism should be strictly regulated so that any impact is avoided,' said Cirelli.
At present there are no legally binding rules for tourists visiting the continent, only detailed guidelines developed by the signatories to the Treaty.
Adventure lovers prepared to pay high prices for excursions to Antarctica can have a unique experience cruising the frigid waters among floes of sea ice and icebergs.
But they should also know the risks they represent and face, and how their very presence, however temporary, affects Antarctica's rich biodiversity, the expert said, citing the frequent accidents in which ships have been trapped in the ice, as well as oil spills.
The Antarctic Treaty was signed Dec. 1, 1959 in Washington, at a time when it was thought that the main threats to the region were from mining or military incursions, including nuclear weapons testing, in the vulnerable region.
Upon signing the treaty, countries with territorial claims suspended their disputes and declared Antarctica an area to be used only for peaceful purposes, where the only settlements are for scientific research in a context of international cooperation.
Originally 12 governments signed the treaty — the ones involved in scientific research in Antarctica: Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, Russia (then the Soviet Union), South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States.
Later on, 16 more countries joined as full members and 20 as associate members. They developed a set of protocols and environmental protection agreements that are now part of the Antarctic Treaty System of regulations.
Periodically the members gather for a Consultative Meeting, preceded by the more technical meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection. This year's Consultative Meeting ends Jul. 1.
ASOC is participating in the meeting as a civil society representative, out of only five taking part this year, one of which is FVSA, represented by Cirelli.
© Inter Press Service (2011) — All Rights ReservedOriginal source: Inter Press Service