Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Antarctic accommodations
Over the last 50 years, the Antarctic Treaty and its membership have had to accommodate
change and difference. Whatever the appeal of science, and later environmental protection
under the terms of the Protocol on Environmental Protection, in terms of cementing solid-
arity and a unity of shared purpose, the signatories to the treaty have faced their own
share of disagreements. While publicly endorsing consensual decision-making, there re-
mains plenty of evidence of disagreement and, at moments, very real tension over the fu-
ture of the ATS itself. Where there are pressure points, they exist between claimants and
non-claimants, consultative parties and third parties, and finally between states and non-
state organizations, including non-governmental organizations such as Greenpeace and the
Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition.
Accommodating the position of the claimant states is a case in point. In 1959, they dom-
inated, numerically at least, the twelve-strong membership. In 2012, the seven claimants
are a minority group, albeit an important one. Countries such as Australia, France, New
Zealand, and the United Kingdom are active members of the ATS - they contribute sub-
stantially to Antarctic science, they advocate policy-making positions, and they contribute
to general debates surrounding the Antarctic. They have every incentive to do so. Claimant
states remain hugely important in determining the regulation and control of fishing, tour-
ism, and environmental protection. As claimants, north and south of the Antarctic Treaty's
area of application, they are prepared to invest in infrastructure and surveillance capabil-
ities, especially when it comes to illegal fishing - that is, fishing that is not regulated or
managed by competent authorities.
Fortress Falklands
The 1980s were a tense period for Antarctic Treaty parties as they sought to regulate the
possibility of Antarctic mineral resource activity in the future. The negotiations were given
added zest because two claimant states - Argentina and Britain - had recently concluded
an uneasy settlement following conflict in the Falkland Islands and South Georgia.
After the conflict, the UK government increased funding for British Antarctic Survey
(BAS), constructed a new air base at Mount Pleasant in the Falkland Islands, and retained a
military presence in South Georgia. Science and the military were instrumental in protect-
ing Britain's South Atlantic empire.
