Headlines:
Major
intergovernmental agreements and actors
Action
programmes, strategies, and research
State
of the regional environment
GEF
Projects
in the region
Other
actors and initiatives
Major
intergovernmental agreements and actors
Antarctic
Treaty
The
full text of the Treaty is found on this site, which also offers
the full text of the Protocol
on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty.
Protocol
on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty
The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic
Treaty and its Committee
for Environmental Protection (CEP) are the outcome of a continuously
growing awareness within the Antarctic Treaty system of the importance
of protecting the fragile Antarctic environment. Environmental protection
has always played a central role in cooperation within the Antarctic
Treaty system, and in 1991 this cumulated in the signing of the
Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty which,
inter alia, establishes the CEP. The Protocol entered into
force in 1998 following the ratification of the Protocol of all
Consultative Parties to the Antarctic Treaty. The
Committee was established in 1998 with the functions to provide
advice and formulate recommendations to the Antarctic Treaty Parties
in connection with the implementation of the Environmental Protocol.
The site of the Committee for Environmental Protection, maintained
and operated by the Norwegian Polar Institute, includes information
on CEP and its activities (Environmental Impact Assessments, Area
Protection, Management Conservation of Antarctic Flora and Fauna).
Convention
on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
The Convention (CCAMLR) came into force in 1982, as part of the
Antarctic Treaty System. "The aim of the Convention is to conserve
marine life. This does not exclude harvesting as long as such harvesting
is carried out in a rational manner." On
the site of the Commission
for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, executive
body of the Convention, one finds the full text of the Convention,
information about the Commission and the Scientific
Committee and their work. See for example the CCAMLR Ecosystem
Monitoring Program (CEMP) and Fisheries
Monitoring.
Convention
for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals
The
objectives, as stated in the preamble, of the 1972 Convention are
"to promote and achieve the protection, scientific study and
rational use of Antarctic seals, and to maintain a satisfactory
balance within the ecological system of the Antarctic".
Convention
on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities, 1988
Action
programmes, strategies and research
Research
Scientific
Committee on Antarctic Research, SCAR
The
main purpose of SCAR is to provide a forum for scientists of all
countries with research activities in the Antarctic to discuss their
field activities and plans and to promote collaboration between
them. SCAR also has an important function to provide scientific
advice to the Antarctic Treaty System. For the purpose of SCAR,
the 'Antarctic' is considered to be bounded by the Antarctic convergence,
although certain sub-Antarctic islands which lie outside the Antarctic
convergence may be included in SCAR's area of interest. SCAR has
a number of working groups:
State
of the regional environment
GEO
2000 State of the Environment: Antarctic
Global Enviroment
Outlook 2000. GEO is:
- a global
environmental assessment process, the GEO Process, that is cross-sectoral
and participatory. It incorporates regional views and perceptions, and
builds consensus on priority issues and actions through dialogue among
policy-makers and scientists at regional and global levels.
- GEO outputs,
in printed and electronic formats, including the GEO Report series.
This series makes periodic reviews of the state of the world's environment,
and provides guidance for decision-making processes such as the formulation
of environmental policies, action planning and resource allocation.
Other outputs include technical reports, a
web site and a publication for young people.
GEF
Projects in the region
None.
Other
actors, initiatives and resources
The
Antarctic - a Large Marine Ecosystem (LME)
A
Large Marine Ecosystem,
LME,
is a "region of ocean space encompassing coastal areas from river
basins and estuaries to the seaward boundary of continental shelves and
the seaward margins of coastal current systems. It is a relatively large
region characterized by distinct bathymetry, hydrography, productivity,
and trophically dependent populations." See also Rhode Island University
map of LMEs.
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