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Protection of Wilderness and Aesthetic Values of Antarctica: Geographical Information Systems (GIS) as a Tool

Summary

Since 1998, the wilderness and aesthetic values of Antarctica have been given legal protection under the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. Despite the legal obligation, on-the-ground implementation has attracted little interest and wilderness and aesthetic values have rarely been taken into account in any environmental management activities over the past decade.The protection of Antarctica’s aesthetic values can be interpreted as protection of natural landscapes, especially those to which we respond as beautiful or awesome. As Antarctica is the least inhabited continent in the world and has had the least influence from human activities, the whole continent of Antarctica can still be considered as wilderness, except for those relatively small areas that have been degraded by human activity. These areas are located mostly around research stations. The calculation of the areas occupied by permanent infrastructure and facilities, almost exclusively put in place by National Antarctic Programs, is a practical way to measure the impact of human activity on Antarctic wilderness.In order to control the “creeping” erosion of Antarctica’s wilderness and aesthetic values, an inventory of all Antarctic infrastructure will be useful for determining what the current human footprint is. The compilation of a geographical information system (GIS) database of all infrastructure will be an aid and a practical first step towards the protection of the wilderness and aesthetic values of Antarctica.

Related Document

Speakers

Ms. Helen Campbell SCADM Deputy Chief Officer, United Kingdom
Alan Cooper U.S. Geological Survey
Peter Barrett Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University, New Zealand
Robert DeConto Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts
Robert Dunbar Environmental Earth Systems Science, Stanford University
Carlota Escutia Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (IACT), Spain
Dr. Martin Seigert Head of the School of GeoSciences
Nigel Wardell Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale, Italy
Jon Childs U.S. Geological Survey
John Hocevar Oceans Director
Allison Kole Campaigns Assistant, Science and the Governance of International Commons
Igor Krupnik Smithsonian Institution
Mr. Michael Lang Director, Smithsonian Marine Science Network; Director, Smithsonian Scientific Diving program; Office of the Under Secretary for Science, Smithsonian Institution, United States
Scott E. Miller Smithsonian Institution
Mr. Michael Lang Director, Smithsonian Marine Science Network; Director, Smithsonian Scientific Diving program; Office of the Under Secretary for Science, Smithsonian Institution, United States
Martin Sayer NERC Facility for Scientific Diving, Dunstaffnage Marine Laboratory, United Kingdom
Rafael Lemaitre Smithsonian Institution
Valery Lukin Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute, Russian Antarctic Expedition
Robert A. McCabe
Anita Dey Nuttall Canadian Circumpolar Institute, University of Alberta
Frank Rack ANDRILL Science Management Office, University of Nebraska Lincoln
Laura De Santis Istituto Nazionale di Oceanografia e di Geofisica Sperimentale GS, Italy
Richard Levy GNS Science, New Zealand
Tim Naish Antarctic Research Centre, Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand
Robert DeConto Department of Geosciences, University of Massachusetts
Carlota Escutia Instituto Andaluz de Ciencias de la Tierra (IACT), Spain
Tina Tin Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC)
Rupert Summerson Faculty of Architecture, Building and Planning, The University of Melbourne, Australia
Professor David Walton Professor Emeritus, British Antarctic Survey, Cambridge, United Kingdom
Julie A Hambrook Berkman Foundation for the Good Governance of International Spaces
Dr. Michele Zebich-Knos Kennesaw State University, Kennesaw, Georgia, USA

Schedule

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