Tourism Could Threaten Earth’s Last Great Wilderness

Delegates at the annual Antarctic treaty meeting last week called for tougher safety regulations. Experts say a fuel spill from a stricken vessel close to shore could cause significant pollution that would endanger the region’s wildlife and take years to clean up.

Close to 30,000 people are expected to descend on Antarctica to observe penguins, seals and seabirds this year –about four times as many as 10 years ago. Adding in those who pass through without coming ashore brings the total to 37,000.

Tourists are increasingly gazing in awe at the icy landscapes not just in small former research vessels with space for up to 200 but from vast liners which spend just a few days in the waters of the Antarctic peninsula as part of longer voyages.

The two-week meeting of the signatories to the 1961 treaty that designated Antarctica as a natural reserve devoted to peace and science comes in the wake of the first accident involving a tour boat in the region.

A spill of hundreds of tons of heavy fuel close to the shoreline could see thousands of penguins getting coated in oil, delegates said. Cleanup equipment would have to be brought in from South America or the US, by which time the oil could have spread.

The UK wants a ban on ships which have not been specially strengthened to deal with sea ice entering areas of water where ice coverage is more than 10 percent. It is also calling for a “buddy system” for large ships so that if one gets into trouble there is always another vessel nearby which it can call for help.

Environmentalists are also concerned about the impact of visitors coming ashore from the smaller tour boats, fearing they could disturb wildlife, trample on important mosses and lichens and damage the region’s unique ecosystems by introducing non-native species.

Another proposal would see a ban on landings by passengers from vessels carrying more than 500 passengers, even in staggered groups. Those on the biggest cruise liners do not make landings.

Tourism in Antarctica is currently regulated by the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO), which sets out strict guidelines. But the system is voluntary and there are already two operators who for several years have not been members.