International Regulation of Tourism in Antarctica
Since the mid-1980s, Antarctica has been an increasingly popular tourist destination, despite the relative danger of visiting the largest, least explored -- and arguably least understood -- continent on earth. Beginning with the 1959 treaty establishing Antarctica as an international zone free of claims of sovereignty by nation's that had been instrumental in establishing research stations there, there has been almost constant negotiation about how to administer regulations pertaining to the preservation of life forms on the continent, what those regulations should be, and what sanctions should be applied and by whom.
To understand the depths of the negotiations, and the potential for discord, it is necessary to understand what the continent offer the 65% of global nations that are party to the 1959 and all subsequent treaties. To understand the possible future of Antarctica, it is necessary to outline treaty attempts to minimize commercial interests based on extraction of natural resources and on fishing, while not really providing much incentive for tourism, either, except if that tourism is subordinate to environmental interests as defined by treaty.
This paper exposes all the current situations obtaining in Antarctica regarding mineral extraction, fishing, environmental concerns and the increasingly important addition of tourism, and it assesses and makes recommendations regarding the best ways to regulate international tourism to minimize its effect on the fragile Antarctic environment at present.
I: Introduction and Statement of the Problem
What is it about Antarctica that beckons tourists?
Landscapes of the moon, substrates of the tropics
Looking up as well as down
Fishy business
Trendy real estate
Tourism from terrifying beginnings
Problems for tourists
From homesteading to tourism: Current conditions
Tourism's current situation
II. Review of the Literature and Research Questions
Environmental impact: Abuses
Regulatory framework
Positions of various signatories and interested nations
Chile
South Africa
Australia
Korea
The United States
New Zealand
Japan
Academic studies
III. Methodology
IV. Discussion
References
APPENDIX A: The Antarctic Treaty
APPENDIX B: Madrid Protocol
APPENDIX C: Companies conducting Antarctica tourism excursions
APPENDIX D: Guidance for those Organising and Conducting Tourism and Non-governmental Activities in the Antarctic
APPENDIX E: The Lake Vostok Issue
Table I:1 Antarctic Fish Catch (1000 ton/year)
Chapter I: Introduction and Statement of the Problem
People with enough money have paid enormous sums to go into space in Russian missiles. While that may seem excessive, adventure tourism has been part of the human psyche since before the Mediterranean people rowed around that small ocean creating semi-mythical adventures to entertain and enlighten. In the past three decades at least, adventure vacations from whitewater rafting to rock-climbing to visits to anaconda-patrolled equatorial rainforests have been popular with everyone from young men with a lot of 'attitude' and muscles to older women who want to experience the wonders of the globe and have the time and money to do whatever they please. Even without the other blandishments offered by the 'ice planet,' Antarctica would have enormous tourist appeal. However, as it happens, there are many other reasons tourists would bother about Antarctica, which in turn means there are ample reasons for nations interested in the tourist dollar to bother about it.
While it is human nature to be adventurous, it is also human nature to be competitive. When more than one person, or in this case more than one nation, has an interest in an undeveloped land, there are bound to be problems. This could certainly be true of one of the last unspoiled landscapes on the globe, especially as it offers not only tourism but also commercial and scientific advantages to those who might be able to exploit it unhindered.
In one of the few cases, arguably, of pre-emptive international cooperation, Antarctica has been the subject of two pieces of international legislation aimed at keeping the frozen landscapes welcoming to virtually all inhabitants of the planet,...
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