Land of wondrous cold: the race to discover antarctica and unlock the secrets of its ice

Abstract

human activities in Antarctica other than those of a tourism or non-governmental kind; impacts arising from human activities originating from outside the Antarctic Treaty area; the role of ‘subjective’ characteristics of wilderness; and what lessons Arctic governance might take from the ATS. Without diminishing the importance of the above findings, in further work there could be consideration of the interaction between the ATS and relevant legal rules developed under the national legislation of the ATCPs. These national legal rules also provide an important source of protection of wilderness in Antarctica. For instance, under Australian national legislation, environmental protection is addressed in the Antarctic Treaty (Environment Protection) Act 1980 (Cth) which in accordance with its s 4(1)(a) applies ‘not only to Australian nationals but also to any other persons and property, including foreign persons and property’ in the Australian Antarctic Territory. Further, regarding the description of the human presence and activities in Antarctica, an acknowledgement of the important contribution of the South American States (in particular for Argentina and Chile) in Antarctic affairs would have bolstered understanding of human interaction within Antarctica. For example, Argentina established the first permanently inhabited base in Antarctica, the Orcadas Base in the South Orkney Islands, in 1904. Overall, this book provides a valuable contribution to one of the key contemporary challenges of the Antarctic Treaty System. That is, protection of the Antarctic environment in times of increasing human access to the region. Neumann’s work will help to improve understanding of the possibilities for protection of wilderness, in particular in the context of tourism and other non-governmental activities, within Antarctica. Therefore, this is an important contribution to ongoing discussions on development of the Antarctic Treaty System.