In Antarctica, people do research, fish and tourists visit the area frequently. In Berlin, representatives from more than 50 countries are advising who is actually allowed to do what is in the world’s largest nature reserve.

What is the topic of the meeting?

The main focus of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Conferences in Berlin is environmental and climate protection. For example, protecting emperor penguins is a long-term goal. Protection of the newly discovered megafish breeding area in the Antarctic seas may also become a problem. The biodiversity of the polar seas of the continent is huge and must be preserved, and fishing is allowed only on a very limited scale here.

The contracting states of the Antarctic Treaty are notified by their Special Commission for the Protection of the Environment. Research is also taking place in Berlin, where regular discussions should take place about who wants to research, where and how this might affect other countries and other local researchers. Tourism will also be an important topic this year. It is rapidly increasing, but is only allowed as long as the Antarctic flora and fauna are not disturbed. The meeting continues until June 2.

What is the Antarctic Treaty?

Even if the Antarctic Treaty is not well known, it is considered one of the most successful intergovernmental agreements and regulates how a continent without a government, without a parliament, is used equitably by all parties involved.

Its great political value can be understood by going back in time to the late 1950s. At that time the world was at the height of the Cold War. Several countries have declared their territorial claims to Antarctica. Whether because it was the closest riparian country, Chile has argued, or because it was the first to officially enter any particular region of Antarctica. So argues Great Britain. So there was a significant risk that Antarctica could disintegrate into a mosaic of partially overlapping territorial claims. In the back of my mind was the fear of atomic bomb experiments.

This is how science became active. At her proposal, an International Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research was formed, in which the Antarctic Treaty was drawn up. It banned new territorial claims and froze those already made. It also prohibits military exercises or prospecting for mineral wealth.

Alternatively, Antarctica may only be used for peaceful purposes such as research and tourism, provided that its ecological balance is always maintained. In 1961, the Antarctic Treaty entered into force as the first treaty after World War II that could organize nations into peaceful coexistence. Today there is an extensive network of international agreements relating to this fundamental treaty.

Who signed the Antarctic Treaty?

On December 1, 1959, twelve countries signed the Antarctic Treaty: Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, Great Britain, New Zealand and Norway, all of which made territorial claims in Antarctica, as well as South Africa, the United States of America and the first. Soviet Union.

It has now been signed by more than 50 countries, but if Tanya von Oslar-Gleichen, chair of the Berlin Consultative Conference, succeeds, there could be more. The more community that comes together to protect Antarctica, the better. Not all countries have voting rights. In order to get it, extensive engagement around the South Pole and research on Earth is necessary. Germany acceded to the Antarctic Treaty in 1979, as it operates research stations in Antarctica, it also has voting rights.

What happens if someone violates the Antarctic Treaty?

In addition to its success, the Antarctic Treaty is a fragile utopia. Antarctica is huge and sparsely populated, so no one will even notice if hunting was carried out on a large scale in restricted areas. The entire contract is built on trust and transparent communication.

Political scientist Patrick Flamm is associated with the Hamburg Giga Institute and an expert on the Antarctic Treaty. In his view, each country can in the end do whatever it wants, you just have to lose your reputation. There are no hard penalties, and the Antarctic Treaty is held together by what is described as the „Antarctic spirit of cooperation”. However, checks do happen. Dr. Birgit Stekelberg runs the German research station Neumeyer 3 and reports on regular, unannounced inspections of the research stations between them.

What is being searched for in Antarctica?

There are about 80 research stations in Antarctica. Several thousand researchers work here in the summer, and only 100 in the Antarctic winter, and research areas include glaciology (glaciology); Meteorology, climate research, geophysics, biology or oceanography. An Ice Plant Seed Bank has also been set up, storing genetic material from cultivated and wild plants from around the world. But there is also future research that could make space travel easier.

At the German research station Neumayer III there is the Eden-ISS project, which is a greenhouse in which kilograms of lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and herbs are grown. As a test, because an Antarctic greenhouse is supposed to be on Mars at some point.

Daniel Schubert is one of the Eden-ISS project managers at the German Aerospace Center and explains that this greenhouse could be brought to Mars and started automatically. When the first astronauts came to Mars, they could start harvesting right away. Average temperatures on Mars and Antarctica are similar, which is why this kind of future research works only in an almost pristine icy desert.

What kind of tourism is there in Antarctica?

There are no hotels in Antarctica, there is no airport, however, before Corona, about 75,000 tourists came to Antarctica every year. The president of the Berlin Antarctic Conference, Tanya von Oslar-Gleichen, talks about the increase in adventure tourism, and the desire to experience a frozen continent.

There is a growing demand for mountain and snowboarding, as well as motorized trekking over ice, paragliding and sightseeing trips. The challenge is to keep tourism at an acceptable level for Antarctica. If the tourists make a lot of noise, this disturbs the delicate world of animals such as the emperor penguin. If they pull seed pods not found in Antarctica unnoticed, the invasive species can damage native plants.

What role does Antarctica play in climate change?

crucial, even if it is rarely conscious. This vast frigid zone stabilizes the global climate, as the extreme cold of Antarctica controls the circulation of air and oceans. Without Antarctica, the global climate would be very different. Antarctica has not been as severely affected by climate change as the Arctic in the north, but temperatures are rising here too.

The sea ice in Antarctica is already slowly melting, and it would be really dangerous for the whole world if the land ice melted. The Antarctic ice sheet is about 5,000 meters thick at its thickest point. If land ice melts, it will cause sea levels to rise on European coasts as well. According to the Federal Foreign Office, people all over the world may lose their livelihoods, and due to climate change, this risk is very real.

Status: 11:48 am| Reading time: 2 minutes

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