Antarctic Treaty System

Official Name

The Antarctic Treaty System is a group of agreements which include:

Signatories

The treaty has been signed by Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria Chile, China, Ecuador, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Poland, South Africa, South Korea Soviet Union, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States and Uruguay.

Dates

The Antarctic Treaty was signed on 1 December 1959 in Washington D.C. The treaty came into force on 23 June 1961. In May 2000 16 nations signed the treaty - Brazil, Bulgaria, China, Ecuador, Finland, Germany, India, Italy, Netherlands, Peru, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and Uruguay.

The Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora was signed on 2 June 1964 in Brussels, Belgium. It came into force on 1 November 1982.

The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals was signed on 1 June 1972 in London. It came into force on 14 June 1972.

The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources was signed on 2 June 1988 in Wellington, New Zealand.

Languages

The treaties were written in English, French, Russian and Spanish.

The purpose of the Antarctic Treaties was to protect the ecosystem of Antarctica and to conduct scientific research to promote peace and friendly relations throughout the world. The treaties promote research projects and scientific awareness of the Antarctic through multi-national scientific programs.

Key Points

Antarctic Treaty

The area of Antarctica applies to all areas south of 60° south latitude. All activities undertaken in Antarctica must have peaceful objectives. No weapons are to be developed or detonated in the Antarctic area. There will be freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation. To monitor the freedom of scientific information there will be inspections that may take place at any time, as under directions from the Antarctic Treaty body, and they will have access to all areas of Antarctica, including bases and sea vessels. Changes may be made to the treaty, as long as the decision is unanimous between all signatories of the treaty.

Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora

The area specified by the Antarctic Treaty - all areas south of 60° south latitude - is the same area which this treaty covers.

Definitions

Each government subject to the treaty is prohibited to killing, wounding, capturing or hunting any native flora and fauna in the Antarctic area without a permit. A permit can only be provided on the grounds of:

Permits are to be limited to the following conditions:

The following acts are considered harmful to native flora and fauna and are therefore prohibited:

Pollution is to be avoided by all governments and facilities whilst within Antarctica. Each government will also abstain from introducing flora and fauna that is not native to Antarctica without a permit.

Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals

This treaty also applies to the area south of 60° south latitude. The treaty is subject to the following breeds of seals:

The seals listed above are not to be hunted, killed or captured in Antarctic territory without a permit. It must be documented and reported to the Antarctic Treaty body about the number and breed of seals captured or killed.

Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources

The treaty covers the area south of 60° south latitude and includes organisms such as fin fish, molluscs, crustaceans, and all other living creatures in Antarctica. This treaty simply re-stated the aims of the Antarctic Treaty.

AntarcticEvents as a result of the Treaty

During the 1980's there was much speculation as to the resources that lie beneath the ice of Antarctica. Many nations discussed the possibility of mining the resources, however mining regulations were put in place in 1988 to preserve the Antarctic wilderness. This once again came into focus in 1989 when the US and UK opposed the Australian and French proposal of making Antarctica into a wilderness preserve. However during a conference in Chile 1991 each of the nations that had signed the Antarctic Treaty were swayed and a permanent ban on Antarctic mining is in place.

Current Events concerning the Treaty

Issues with animal populations in Antarctica have come about since the signing of the treaty. In 1999 southern fur seals, which were once hunted and almost extinct before 1961, boomed in population numbers and overcrowded lakes, eating and destroying rare vegetation. This is an example of the extremely delicate balance that the Antarctic environment requires.

Tourism to the icy continent has also brought issues. It is feared that tourists will overwhelm the continent and bring pollution and human's harmful footprint. Whilst there is tourism today it is still feared what the long term effect of tourism will be to the Antarctic wilderness.

Resources Used:

"» Antarctic Treaty." SCAR. 11 Feb. 2009 <http://www.scar.org/treaty/at_text.html>.

"Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals [1987] ATS 11." Australasian Legal Information Institute (AustLII). 11 Feb. 2009 <http://www.austlii.edu.au/cgi-bin/sinodisp/au/other/dfat/treaties/1987/11.html?query=%20((antarctic)%20and%20(on))>.

"IAgreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and." Socioeconomic Data and Applications Center. 11 Feb. 2009 <http://sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu/entri/texts/acrc/aff64.txt.html>.

"» Antarctic Treaty." SCAR. 11 Feb. 2009 <http://www.scar.org/treaty/signatories.html>.