Protocol to the Antarctic
Treaty on
Environmental Protection
The Antarctic Treaty System is a network of international
instruments including the Antarctic Treaty itself and several
subsequent treaties adopted on the basis of the Antarctic
Treaty.
The Antarctic Treaty was signed 1 December 1959 in Washington,
D.C., and entered into force 23 June 1961. Its objective
is "to ensure that Antarctica is used for peaceful
purposes, for international cooperation in scientific research,
and does not become the scene or object of international
discord."
This 1991 Protocol is a statement of the environmental
principles governing the conduct of States Parties in relation
to the Antarctic continent.
Its objectives are "to reaffirm the status of the
Antarctica as a special conservation area, and to enhance
the framework for the protection of the Antarctic environment
with its dependent and associated ecosystems".
It aims to protect the Antarctic environment and dependent
and associated ecosystems, and preserve the intrinsic value
of Antarctica – its aesthetic values as well as its
status as a place of research.
This Protocol was adopted on 3 October 1991 in Madrid,
Spain, and entered into force in 1998.
Subsequent treaties include:
Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic
Seals (CCAS)
Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic
Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
Related instruments include:
Convention
on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities
[offsite]
Agreed
Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora
[offsite]
International Convention for the Prevention
of Pollution from Ships, as modified by the Protocol of
1978 (MARPOL)
Read the full
text of the protocol [offsite]
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