Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora
Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora | |
---|---|
Signed | 2 June 1964 |
Location | Brussels |
Effective | 1 November 1982 |
Condition | ratification by Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, the Soviet Union, the United Kingdom and the United States |
Expiration | 2011 |
Parties | 21 |
Depositary | United States of America |
Full text | |
Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora at Wikisource |
The Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora is a set of environmental protection measures which were accepted at the third
The Agreed Measures were the first attempts under the Treaty to prioritise wildlife conservation and environmental protection.[5] This was needed due to increasing human interest in exploration, science, and fishing, which had put pressure on natural flora and fauna. They proved successful, and led the way for more stringent environmental protection in future.[6]
History
Antarctic interests in the late 1940s were increasing, with nations fighting over territory in the Antarctic Peninsula region. Fear of open conflict from these nations, as well as fear of Antarctica becoming involved in the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union, led to the first discussions of Antarctic diplomacy and treaties.[6] This led to the negotiations of the Antarctic Treaty in 1959 in which the International Geophysical Year Antarctic Program met to discuss scientific papers from 12 participating nations, regarding Antarctic science and research.[5] The 12 nations in attendance were also members of the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) which was founded one year prior in 1958. SCAR was formulated as an international association of biologists and other scientists interested in Antarctic research, and included Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Chile, France, Japan, New Zealand, Norway, South Africa, United Kingdom, United States, and USSR.[7] The formation of SCAR and the Antarctic Treaty enabled scientists to advocate for conservation efforts and policy in Antarctica, leading to the first discussions of establishing the Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora.[3]
The International Geophysical Year Antarctic Program was the beginning of concerns for Antarctic wildlife, as the geophysical scientists' efforts to explore Antarctica proved to be inadvertently harming Antarctic flora and fauna.[5] Biologists were calling for awareness that Antarctica was not a lifeless tundra, but in fact had wildlife that was extremely vulnerable to human interference.[6] SCAR secretary Gordon Robin published a paper for fellow scientist Robert Carrick in the SCAR Bulletin to bring further awareness to the requirement of conservation in Antarctica.[6][5] Carrick, along with other prominent scientists, William J. L. Sladen, Robert Falla, Carl Eklund, Jean Prevost and Robert Cushman Murphy to name a few, were among the loudest contributors to SCAR's position of conservation.[5]
As these scientists had all specialised in the area of birds, their first action towards Antarctic conservation occurred at the 1960
Negotiations
In January 1960, the U.S. representative for the Antarctic Treaty, Paul Daniels, asked that conservation be formally discussed at the first Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting. After this, US participation declined, and the
At the third
Summary of the Agreed Measures
The
The Agreed Measures also set out to prevent harmful interference of native conditions in
Ratification
The convention was ratified both by members whose ratification was required for entry into force as by others. A list is shown:[11]
Country | Date | Required for entry into force |
---|---|---|
Argentina | September 3, 1965 | Yes |
Australia | September 1, 1980 | Yes |
Belgium | January 25, 1978 | Yes |
Brazil | October 27, 1986 | No |
Chile | November 23, 1970 | Yes |
China | December 11, 1985 | No |
France | September 20, 1972 | Yes |
Germany | February 17, 1981 | No |
India | March 7, 1988 | No |
Italy | April 22, 1987 | No |
Japan | January 19, 1965 | Yes |
New Zealand | December 23, 1971 | Yes |
Norway | December 1, 1965 | Yes |
Poland | July 11, 1977 | No |
South Africa | October 5, 1964 | Yes |
South Korea | May 10, 1995 | No |
Soviet Union | February 20, 1965 | Yes |
Spain | April 8, 1988 | No |
United Kingdom | September 10, 1968 | Yes |
United States | July 31, 1979 | Yes |
Uruguay | October 10, 1989 | No |
Other Agreements
Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals
The Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora, only covered land areas south of latitude 60°S, and thus there was no measure in place for protection on the sea or floating ice.[3] This was despite the efforts of Robert Carrick and the Australian party, who advocated strongly for this to be included in the Agreed Measures, to protect animals who spend most of their lives on pack ice or in the seas surrounding Antarctica.[5] This issue was rectified by the signing of the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals in 1972, and was the first treaty in the wake of the Agreed Measures.[3]
Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources
In 1975 at the Eighth Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting, they adopted Recommendation VIII-10 to protect marine life, which were excluded from the scope of the Agreed Measures.[12][13] This issue had become increasingly urgent due to extensive fishing practices and overfishing of Antarctic krill which had become popular in the late 1960s to mid-1970s. In 1978 they held a Conference on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources which resulted in the signing of the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) in 1980.[13][14] This was the world's first conservation agreement which protected the ecosystem (marine life) rather than an individual species such as seals.[13]
Bilateral Treaties
Many updated measures were put in to place addressing similar issues of the Agreed Measures at
The Agreed Measures also focused significantly on prohibiting harmful human interference, and since then several other treaties were adopted to manage human
See also
- Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC)
- Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA)
- Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA)
- Antarctic Treaty System
- Multilateral treaty
- National Antarctic Program
- Category: Outposts of Antarctica
- Research stations in Antarctica
- International Council for Science (ICSU)
- International Geophysical Year (IGY)
- International Polar Year (IPY)
References
- ^ "Antarctic Treaty database – Decision 1 (2011) – ATCM XXXIV – CEP XIV, Buenos Aires". ats.aq. Retrieved 2021-05-16.
- ^ a b "PROTOCOL ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION TO THE ANTARCTIC TREATY (1991)". sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu. Archived from the original on 2021-04-19. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
- ^ ISSN 0080-4622.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m "Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora". sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu. Archived from the original on 2021-04-17. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
- ^ S2CID 84480851.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-19-090717-4, retrieved 2021-04-17
- ^ a b c "History of the Antarctic Treaty". www.antarctica.gov.au. 11 April 2016. Retrieved 2021-04-19.
- ^ National Science Foundation (1970). "Division of Polar Programs". Antarctic Journal of the United States. 5–6: 69–73.
- S2CID 128471093.
- ^ a b c d e f "Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora". www.ecolex.org. Retrieved 2021-05-16.
- Antarctic Treaty Secretariat. Retrieved 27 January 2012.
- ^ "CONVENTION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF ANTARCTIC SEALS". sedac.ciesin.columbia.edu. Archived from the original on 2021-05-07. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
- ^ a b c "History of the Convention | CCAMLR". www.ccamlr.org. Retrieved 2021-04-21.
- ^ "Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources". www.antarctica.gov.au. Retrieved 2021-05-15.
- ^ a b c "Fauna and Flora | Antarctic Treaty". ats.aq. Retrieved 2021-04-17.
- PMID 30808907.
- ^ a b c "Environmental Protocol | Antarctic Treaty". www.ats.aq. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
- ^ a b "Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (The Madrid Protocol)". www.antarctica.gov.au. 17 May 2019. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
- ^ a b "Summary of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty". www.env.go.jp. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
- ^ a b "Tourism and non Governmental Activities | Antarctic Treaty". www.ats.aq. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
- ^ "Visitor guidelines". www.antarctica.gov.au. 17 October 2005. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
- ^ a b "Guidelines and Procedures". www.ats.aq. Retrieved 2021-05-20.
- ISSN 0006-3207.
External links
- Full text of document Archived 2020-05-09 at the Wayback Machine