Antarctic terrestrial and limnetic ecosystem conservation and management

Abstract

Antarctica's natural environment is known globally for its attributes such as wilderness and aesthetic values and as being a unique and valuable locality to conduct science. This chapter explores the current framework that exists for conservation and management of terrestrial and limnetic ecosystems under the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), ie applying to continental and maritime Antarctica south of 60°S. We provide a brief history of human activities in the region and discuss the formation and operation of the ATS and the Madrid Protocol. We then consider knowledge management and examine the Antarctic continent within the context of the four big conservation issues facing the world in the first decade of the 21st Century: (i) local impacts and habitat loss, (ii) homogenisation of biota, (iii) the impact of climate change, and (iv) harvesting and removal of resources. Finally we provide a critique of management of these issues within the ATS regime and consider possible directions for the future. © 2006 Springer.