Achievements of the 34th ATCM

The Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) was held in Buenos Aires (Argentina) from June 20 to July 1. During two weeks of discussions, several decisions were taken.

The Chairman of the meeting was Min. Ariel Mansi, from Argentina. Under the able chaimanship of Dr Yves Frenot, the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) considered environmental impacts associated with drilling into subglacial Lake Ellsworth, revised the management plan for 10 Antarctic Specially Protected Areas and grappled with the concepts of wilderness and human footprints of the continent to allow us to develop ways of keeping areas pristine. By producing a manual of control techniques, the Committee continues to make great progress with stopping the introduction of non-native species into the Antarctic. And the CEP's consideration of the proposed Jang Bogo Korean station has clearly demonstrated how sustainable energy, good waste management and imaginative design can greatly lessen the human impact on Antarctica of scientific stations addressing some of the most important issues of global change.

Inspections of many stations by Japan and Australia have shown how well mostParties to the Antarctic Treaty have managed to meet the environmental requirements of the Madrid Protocol, but they have also show how future management can be improved by sharing information and technologies more actively.

The meeting also discussed how to prevent unauthorized access to Antarctica. The meeting also began to tackle the difficult task of assessing the risks posed by tsunamis, a very topical and pressing problem, due to the high number of research stations located on coastal areas.

The Antarctic Treaty Parties adopted the Declaration of Buenos Aires, which was initiated by Michel Rocard and provides a fitting milestone for this 50th year since the Antarctic Treaty came into force.

Oficina Tratado Antártico