International cooperation in Antarctica
Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR)
Polar research has been an international venture right from the start. The first International Polar Year was conducted in 1882-1883. The International Geophysical Year 1957-1958 also saw highly successful research collaboration. Norway’s contributions to the first few polar years is described in an article published in Polar Research. In 1958 the cooperation in Antarctica was formalised through the establishment of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). Since then, a series of international expeditions and collaborative projects have been carried out. SCAR is charged with the task of coordinating national research programmes in Antarctica and fostering international research cooperation on the continent. SCAR currently has delegates from 28 nations.
The Antarctic Treaty
In 1959, the twelve countries that has been involved in Antarctic research during the International Geophysical Year 1957-1958 (Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom, and the United States), formulated and signed an Antarctic Treaty, an overarching international framework for management of Antarctica. The treaty came into force 23 June 1961 and any country that is a member of the United Nations may join. At present the treaty has 29 consultative and 17 non-consultative parties.
The Antarctic Treaty is the foundation for regulations concerning environmental and resource management in Antarctica, even though the treaty itself contains no specific environmental regulations. Measures for nature protection have been discussed at every consultative meeting under the treaty since the first meeting was held in 1961.
Antarktistraktatens miljøprotokoll
At the beginning of the 1990s the parties negotiated a protocol for environmental protection as an annex to the Antarctic Treaty. The Environmental Protocol was signed in the autumn of 1991 and came into force 14 January 1998. The protocol designates Antarctica as “a natural reserve devoted to peace and research”. It obligates all parties to strive to preserve the environment and establishes several important principles:
- to limit activities’ detrimental effects on the environment
- to prioritise scientific research
- to carry out thorough impact assessments of all planned activities
- to monitor ongoing activities
The Environmental Protocol obliges the Treaty’s various co-signing nations to cooperate when planning and carrying out activities in Antarctica, and also puts a 50-year ban on all commercial mineral resource activities.
Other agreements
In addition the Environmental Protocol, there are several agreements based on the Antarctic Treaty that play an important part in environmental protection and natural resource management in Antarctica. The seal convention, ratified in 1972, regulates capture and management of Antarctic seal populations. The krill convention from 1980 is intended to protect all living organisms in the area. These measures aim to protect not only the resources that humans harvest, but also other species whose survival depends on those resources.
All fishing in Antarctic waters is regulated by the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which was established in 1981. Norway was one of the first countries to sign it. In this convention the word “conservation” is defined to include rational use of the resources. The convention applies to the marine areas south of 45 to 60 ºS. The northern demarcation is placed so that it follows as closely as possible the border between cold Antarctic water and the warmer water farther north.
Environmental monitoring
In 1985 the monitoring programme CEMP (CCAMLR Ecosystem Monitoring Program) was established. Norway participates in the monitoring programme, and the Norwegian Polar Institute contributes data to the project.
Cooperation on operational logistics
To better coordinate operational support for research in Antarctica, the Council of Operators and Managers of Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) was established in 1988. The organisation’s main task is to exchange practical and operational information to provide the best possible support for research-related operations in Antarctica. COMNAP currently consists of the national Antarctic organisations from 29 countries; the Norwegian Polar Institute represents Norway.