Antarctica Can Be Protected With Treaties
Antarctica and all of its emperor penguins, leopard seals, blue whales, and towering mountains have been set aside for protection under international agreements. For the past decade or so, oil drilling and mining have been banned from Antarctica in order to safeguard its natural beauty; this protection will last 40 more years.Conservation is the foremost concern regarding policy in Antarctica.Very few things that would be a danger to the wildlife here are allowed. This means that everything from pesticides to dogs are banned.
The accord is called the Environmental Protection Protocol to the Antarctica Treaty.This agreement has been set by the nations of the world to keep Antarctica free of commercialism and industrial development.Approved in 1991, this treaty has the support of the leading 26 nations including the United States, Japan, India, China, Brazil, Argentina, and the majority of all European nations. To find antarctica travel adventures information see this resource.
Prior to the signing of the treaty, lobbyists from environmental organizations had worked for fifteen years to discuss and formulate the regulations outlined in the accord.In addition to the restriction of oil and mining, the treaty also requires nations that run any of Antarctica’s 35 scientific outposts to remove all trash.Further, tourist vessels and scientific stations are prohibited from discharging raw sewage into the waters surrounding Antarctica.
When people like Roald Amundsen of Norway set out to discover parts of Antarctica, such as the South Pole in 1911, they had to use dogs to pull their sleds.Dogs, however, were banned because they posed a recent danger to the penguins and other native birds.Pesticides, non-sterile soil and polystyrene packaging are not allowed to be brought into Antarctica either.
There is land on Antarctica, but it’s hidden under a mile of ice, and the amount of plant life found there is minimal.The ice on the continent accounts for 70% of the Earth’s fresh water.In the surrounding area you will find an assortment of whales, sea birds, fish, and seals.If you want more comprehensive info on adventure antarctica tours that site will help you.
While it’s one of the coldest places on this earth, it is also the most fragile. Due to the constant below zero temperatures, any growth if slow. Many years will pass before any damage can be completely repaired.A footprint could stay in the moss for a decade.
The original Antarctic Treaty, executed in 1959, prohibited nuclear tests and any military maneuvers in the area.Rules for research were established and Antarctica was declared to be owned by no nation.No country actually owns Antarctica, but nearly the entire continent is claimed by one or more countries.
Conservations laws were pushed for in the 1980’s when scientists discovered oil reserves, coal, copper, gold, iron, zinc, manganese, uranium and other minerals off the coastline.The ideas of drilling in Antarctica got tossed around in the 1970s when the energy crisis took place.The interest in mining and drilling will probably increase as technology advances and oil prices increase.
Each of the 26 nations involved will enforce the rules on their own.If one country has a person that goes against the rules there will be pressure from the other nations for that nation to rectify the problem.The agreement on this continent is believed to be an environmental success story.
Posted: March 12th, 2010 under Travel and Leisure.
Comments: none