Tourists Invading Antarctica of Rare Beauty

TROMSO, Norway, March 25, 2004 (ENS) - At a new polar environmental center in this northern Norwegian city, a special Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting of Experts on tourism and nongovernmental activities today opened a discussion of new rules to keep the frozen continent at the South Pole as pristine as possible.

According to the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), the number of ship based tourists visiting Antarctica has doubled in the past 10 years - from 6,704 in the 1992-93 season to 13,263 in the 2002-03 season.

IAATO estimates the number of ship-based tourists landing in Antarctica was over 20,000 in the season that has just passed as the Austral summer ends and winter closes in.

Tourists explore a pristine environment. (Photo courtesy Brisbane Grammar School)

Stone is attending the meeting which includes scientists and government representatives from the countries that are Parties to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources. After discussions in Tromso, the group will board a Coastal Express steamer and consider the issues further as they travel along the northem coast of Norway from Tromso to Trondheim.

Stone said Australia had long been concerned about the potential environmental impacts of unregulated tourism and the safety and self-sufficiency of adventure tourism, and cruising in Antarctica, particularly since many of the tourists are Australians.

Trash abandoned in Antarctica (Photo courtesy Australian Antarctic Division)

One area of concern is the potential for an oil spill or loss of life if cruise ship hulls are not strengthened to encounter ice, Stone said.

At the Norway meeting, Australia is proposing an accreditation scheme to encourage adherence to voluntary guidelines and codes of behavior by all tourist expeditions.

Other proposals include:

• An environmental monitoring framework capable of identifying both short-term and cumulative impacts arising from tourism activities;

• Activity guidelines addressing environmental and safety issues which will assist in the planning and conduct of activities commonly undertaken by tourists to ensure that such activities have no more than a minor or transitory environmental impact and are conducted in a safe and responsible manner;

• A site management system incorporating site-specific guidelines to identify and put in place management controls for sites identified as being at risk;

• An Antarctic shipping code for consideration by the International Maritime Organisation to encourage appropriate environmental and safety standards for commercial shipping in the Antarctic Treaty area;

• A coordinated inspection/observer scheme to audit compliance with regulatory and voluntary measures governing tourism activities;

• Effective quarantine procedures to prevent the introduction and spread of exotic species in the Antarctic environment;

• A database on tourism activities to assist in the management of these activities

• A financial security system that requires all tourism activities to carry adequate insurance, provide a bond, or otherwise indemnify or reimburse others against the cost of support provided in the event of accidents or an emergency.

Antarctica XXI operates the only air tour to the frozen continent. Antarctica XXI is a member of the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (Photo courtesy Antarctica XXI)

Depending on the activity, they may also then be required to have adequate insurance and contingency plans for search and rescue.

Stone says current mechanisms for managing Antarctic tourism are becoming increasingly inadequate. “In recent years the number of small, under-prepared private adventure expeditions has also increased,” Stone said.

If things go wrong for such expeditions, it is Australian rescuers who are called upon, at great cost and risk of life and limb in the harsh conditions.

“It is not fair to simply take off and hope for the best and rely on others to come to provide assistance if things go awry," Stone said. "The cost involved in rescues in this hostile environment has a major impact on national scientific programs and can put at risk the lives of the people involved in search and rescue attempts."

Stone said it is "imperative" that proper tourism measures are implemented now to protect Antarctica's rare beauty.