Antarctic conservation policies and practices: Towards a more inclusive and sustainable future

Abstract

Contemporary archaeology brings a unique perspective from which to critically think about Antarctic Treaty System conservation policies and practices concerning material things. The paper begins by highlighting how they have relied on several underlying assumptions, which we summarise as the ‘wilderness’ and ‘heritage’ principles. It then discusses how these policies and practices have often led to non-sustainable or non-inclusive outcomes. In particular, the application of the wilderness and heritage principles to environmental conservation has, on the one hand, reinforced the dominant images and narratives of Antarctica, selectively neglecting and erasing diverse human and non-human stories, and on the other hand, led to human–thing entanglements that are currently difficult to overcome. The paper's conclusions encourage readers to envision more inclusive and sustainable conservation models by challenging the assumptions underlying current policies and practices.