« Antarctica Travel – What Type of Clothing to Bring | Home | A Number Of Practical Alternatives To Take Pleasure In The Disney World Vacation Most happy By Choosing Appropriate Disney World Vacation Packages »
How Antarctica Is Protected
By CruiseDirector | March 14, 2010
Due to a treaty among several nations, the whole Antarctic continent, from its high mountains to its oceans full of all kinds of sea animals, is designated a wilderness preserve. Even since 1998, an accord has been in place which bans oil drilling and mining across this world’s lowest temperature pristine ecosystem for 50 years. The treaty places a strong emphasis on conservation but not development. Pesticides and dogs are included in the wide range of prohibitions, as they present threats to the the indigenous wildlife. You can get the best antarctica travel guide information by visiting this website.
The continent is protected through the Environmental Protection Protocol to the Antarctica Treaty. It binds the world nations in an agreement that leaves one location free of commercialism and industrial development. In 1991, the 26 biggest nations of the world approved the bill, including Brazil, the nations of Europe, China, India, Japan, Russia, Argentina, and the United States of America, among others.
The regulations set forth by this treaty ended over 15 years of lobbying by environmental groups and put as stop to diplomatic talks. In addition to prohibiting oil exploration and mining, the rules mandate that nations involved in the thirty-five scientific outposts remove all their waste and clean up their dumps. Antarctic waters are also protected from scientific stations and tourist ships dumping raw sewage into them.
The Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen, was the first person to arrive at the South Pole in 1911, and he used sled dogs to get there. Unfortunately, dogs are also prohibited by the agreement due to the fact that the pets of some scientists were discovered killing penguins and other native birds. Also banned were pesticides, polystyrene packaging and non-sterile soil. As a person looking for adventure antarctica tours you should visit that site.
Since Antarctica’s land is buried under a mile of ice, most kinds of plants are not able to grow there, with the exception of moss and grass, and only close to the ocean. The ice in Antarctica holds about 70% of all freshwater on Earth. The water surrounding the continent is full of whales, seals, fish and sea birds.
Antarctica is a very fragile ecosystem. Growth takes place very slowly because of the consistency of the sub zero temperatures. Any disturbance may take years to recover. For instance, the single impression of a foot in a mossy outcropping may be preserved for ten years.
The original Antarctic Treaty, executed in 1959, prohibited nuclear tests and any military maneuvers in the area. In addition, it decreed that Antarctica did not belong to any one country, and made stipulations for land use. No country actually owns Antarctica, but nearly the entire continent is claimed by one or more countries.
When scientists reported the discovery of oil, coal, gold, zinc, iron, uranium, manganese, and copper, among other minerals, environmental organizations started fighting to establish laws to protect Antarctica early in the 1980′s. In the 1970′s during the energy crisis, several companies even started discussions about the feasibility of Arctic drilling. The interest in mining and drilling will probably increase as technology advances and oil prices increase.
While it is law in all twenty-six countries, each nation would enforce the regulations individually. This is kept in check by the other nations in the treaty applying pressure to the government to punish any transgression. This agreement has been considered a success story for the environment by a lot of people.
Topics: Caribbean Cruise | No Comments »