Regulating Antarctic Tourism
Photos copyright ASOC (L) and John Weller (R)
Despite the expense of traveling to Antarctica, it is easy to understand its appeal: magnificent icebergs, charismatic seals and penguins, majestic whales, not to mention the excitement of visiting one of the world's most remote and pristine places. But a growing human presence, even if transitory, presents many environmental and safety problems.
Although Antarctic tourism began in the late 1950s, it remained at low levels until the early 1990s when it took off. From a base of 4,698 tourists in the 1990/91 summer, annual numbers have risen to 46,069 in the summer of 2007/2008. Although tourist residence time is shorter, this means that vastly more tourists than scientists and support staff on national programs now visit the Antarctic each year. Industry figures project a continuing increase in tourism numbers through this decade, although the recent economic downturn may slow increases temporarily.
Although the majority of these tourists still travel in small or medium sized vessels, the industry is rapidly diversifying. Large passenger vessels (without any ice-strengthening) capable of carrying up to 800 passengers (and with correspondingly large crews) are now active in the Antarctic. Mass-tourism has arrived. Alongside this, niche-marketed "adventure tourism" has developed - just about anything you may want to do involving aqualungs, parachutes, skis, motorbikes, can now be pandered to by commercial operators. Large numbers of people now land at key wildlife and historic sites in Antarctica and, increasingly, light aircraft, helicopters and all-terrain vehicles allow penetration further in from the coast. So-called "fly-sail" operations, whereby tourists are ferried by aircraft to ships in Antarctica, thus increasing the throughput of passengers, have commenced in the past two seasons.
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Antarctic Tourism, the Environment, and Safety:
As larger and larger ships are used for Antarctic cruises, the risks to the environment and human life grow. Two recent accidents, the sinking of the MS Explorer and the temporary grounding of the Ocean Nova, raise concerns about the prospect of similar accidents with much larger ships. Both ships had experienced crews and were lucky that there was no loss of life or environmental damage, but larger ships would likely not be so fortunate. Significant quantities of fuel oil from a large ship could spill into Antarctic waters in the event of an accident, and the Antarctic is also not conducive to quick rescue. According to an Argentine navy commander, "people cruising around Antarctica should know that we have no real ability to rescue them if they get into trouble." ASOC believes that these risks should be taken seriously.
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Within a relatively short time, as the numbers of tourists continue to increase, and as the present Soviet-era fleet chartered by the tourism industry reaches obsolescence, we may see the emergence of air-supported mass tourism in Antarctica - and the concomitant calls for accommodation ashore, airstrips, etc. The problems of tourism, familiar everywhere else, have arrived in Antarctica, and ASOC is making the point that this requires the sorts of checks and controls that the tourism industry reasonably has to accept just about everywhere else. The alternative is a free-for-all.
What makes Antarctica a particular concern is that there is no regulation of tourism at present. Apart from an obligation to conduct prior Environmental Impact Assessments - which tourism operators, like everybody else travelling to Antarctica, are expected to do - there is essentially no constraint on where you can go, what you can do, and how many of you can do it.
The practical consequence of this is that tourism is already exerting pressures on the Antarctic environment, and the increasing commercial interest is changing the nature of the Antarctic political regime. Increasingly, commercial benefit, rather than concern for the environment, science, or international cooperation, is driving the Antarctic political regime. This (coupled with similar trends in fishing, lingering interest in minerals and an emerging interest in bioprospecting) threatens to unpick the delicate accommodation on sovereignty at the heart of the 1959 Antarctic Treaty.
Remarkably, for close to a decade after the adoption of the Protocol no state sought to seriously examine the Antarctic tourism industry or suggest any need to effectively regulate it. In the absence of such interest, the industry developed an entrenched and influential position in the Antarctic Treaty system. Encouragingly, a number of key Antarctic states (led by France and New Zealand) have recently recognised the importance of tourism regulation. But the industry, and its association (IAATO) still argue that industry "self-regulation" is all that is required.
ASOC has argued that this is certainly not adequate, nor equitable. Over the past several years ASOC has argued that the Antarctic Treaty states must take responsibility for regulating Antarctic tourism, in order to secure the Antarctic environment and protect the political stability of the Antarctic Treaty system. Whatever the good intentions of present industry members, the nature of commercial tourism is such that its unrepresentative nature, self-interest and structural instability make it an inappropriate sole guardian for some 10% of the surface of the earth.
With generous funding from the Goldman Foundation since 2002, ASOC has been able to establish a dedicated Antarctic Tourism Campaign focused on raising public awareness of the issues posed by Antarctic tourism, and putting the case for appropriate regulation of the industry before Antarctic states and the Antarctic Treaty system.
Our case is not that there should be a prohibition of Antarctic tourism. It is a legitimate activity. But its legitimacy is contingent. Tourism must be subject to some constraints, and it must not compromise Antarctica's established designation as a natural reserve, devoted to peace and science. If it is not to become a destructive facet of human activity in Antarctica, it cannot increase endlessly and it has to accept some limits on the types and locations of activities.
Key Documents:
Know Before You Go Pamphlet
ASOC Information Papers:
Tourism and the Human Footprint at Deception Island, South Shetland Islands, Antarctica: Poster (ATME, 2009)
Coastal Hydrocarbon Pollution: A Case Study From Deception Island, Antarctica (ATME, 2009)
Antarctic Ship-borne Tourism and Inspections Under Article VII of the Antarctic Treaty and Article 14 of the Protocol on Environmental Protection (ATME, 2009)
Antarctic Ship-borne Tourism: Perspectives on Shipping Management (ATME, 2009)
Making Tangible Progress on a Strategic Vision for Antarctic Tourism (ATME, 2009)
Tourism and Land-based Facilities in Antarctica: Analysis of a Questionaire Distributed to Antarctic Treaty Parties at XXXII ATCM (ATME, 2009)
IP 41: A Decade of Antarctic Tourism: Status, Change, and Actions Needed (XXXI ATCM, 2008)
IP 79: The Case Against Tourism Landings from Ships Carrying More Than 500 Passengers (XXX ATCM, 2007)
IP 85: Tourism and the Duty for ATCP Action (XXX ATCM, 2007)
IP 65: Managing Antarctic Tourism: A Critical Review of Site-Specific Guidelines
(XXIX ATCM, 2006)
IP 120: Strategic Issues posed by Commercial Tourism in the Antarctic Treaty Area
(XXIX ATCM, 2006)
Related Documents:
Bastmeijer, Kees, and Roura, Ricardo. 2004. Regulating Antarctic Tourism and the Precautionary Principle. American Journal Of International Law 98 (4): 763-781.
Hemmings, Alan. Tourism Accreditation under the Antarctic Treaty. Paper presented at the Australian Antarctic Tourism 2004 Workshop, Sydney, 23 September 2004.
Murray & Jabour, Polar Record 40 (2004), which gives a figure of 44,266 persons for 2004 when "staff and crew" are added to commercial tourists.
Hemmings, Alan. Commercial Penetration of Antarctica ECOLINK, October 2004. Pg. 6-8. (Note, ECOLINK is the newsletter of the Environmental and Conservation Organisations of New Zealand, an institutional member of ASOC. This is a direct link, will open in .pdf format in a new window)
Hemmings, Alan and Ricardo Roura. A Square Peg in a Round Hole: Fitting Impact Assessment under the Antarctic Environmental Protocol to Antarctic Tourism. Impact Assessment and Project Appraisal, Volume 21. No. 3, March, 2003. (will open in .pdf format)
Selected Tourism News:
Click here for more news on Antarctic tourism.
Major funding for the Antarctic Tourism Campaign has been provided by the Richard & Rhoda Goldman Fund, and from ASOC members like you. Thank you.