Introduction

A wilderness is an area free of human exploitation and without evidence of human activity. Antarctica is often perceived as being the last true wilderness on the planet.

Although the oceans surrounding Antarctica have been ruthlessly exploited for their marine life in the past, the continent has remained relatively unexplored and undeveloped due to isolation and extremes of climate. Antarctica contains some of the world’s most pristine (original) ecosystems. Such pristine environments are valuable for scientific research. Antarctica has no indigenous people and no permanent communities of people. This makes it unique amongst continents. It is only recently that people have inhabited Antarctica. First there were the explorer and hunters, now there are scientific researchers and tourists. Scientists comprise the most significant numbers. Antarctica also has no recognised owners and therefore does not belong to any one country.

Nature of Antarctic Tourism

Tourism in the Antarctic context can be defined as all human activities other than those directly involved in scientific research and the normal operations of government bases. This covers commercial tourism operations, private expeditions (e.g. to climb mountains or retrace historic journeys) and the recreational activities of base personnel.

Very few tourists reside on the Antarctic continent itself. The majority (approximately 97%) view Antarctica from luxury cruise liners departing from Chile, Antarctica, New Zealand and Australia. From their ships, tourists make short 2-3 hour trips to the shore in inflatable boats. Nearly all tourists see the edge of the continent, with only a handful getting to visit the interior and/or the South Pole. The mildest and most visited part of the continent is the Antarctic Peninsular, which experiences summer temperatures of around 0ºC. The Antarctic Peninsular is also the closest part of Antarctica to other land masses and the ports of South America.

In addition to ship based tourism there has been a strong growth in scenic over flights to Antarctica departing from Australia and in the past from New Zealand. Some organisations offer land-based expeditions to the interior. Activities include mountaineering, camping at a penguin colony, skiing and trips to the geographic South Pole.

Growth of Antarctic Tourism

Tourists have been visiting the continent since the late 1950s. Initially the numbers tended to be small and reasonably manageable. However recently improvements in technology and higher levels of disposable income have led to a marked increase tourism numbers, particularly since the 1990s, and this is becoming a major concern.

Impacts of Tourism

All human activity, whether conducted by tourists or scientists, inevitably has an impact on the Antarctic environment. The impacts are compounded by a number of factors such as the fragile nature of the environment, seasonality, location, type of human activity involved and the political geography of Antarctica.

Fragile Ecosystem

The Antarctic ecosystem is so fragile that the nature of any disturbance is likely to be long lived. Footprints on slow growing moss for example can last for decades. At least 60% of all land based, and 70% of all marine species are native to the continent making Antarctica a very important place to study and preserve. Although the non-marine ecosystems may not appear to have any economic potential, their simplicity makes them ideal for testing hypotheses about the nature of ecosystem dynamics. Tourists can easily and unwittingly spread bird or plant diseases or introduce new kinds of organisms that can affect the fragile ecosystem.

Seasonality and Location

Unfortunately the Antarctic summer tourist season coincides with peak wildlife breeding periods. This can result in potential disruption to breeding and nesting grounds. Also due to the lack of ice-free locations available on the continent, there is competition between the wildlife found in these areas and the land-based installations which accompany tourist development. The building of permanent onshore tourist facilities and airstrips pose the biggest current threat to the environment and wildlife habitats. Sites like those on King George Island (Antarctic Peninsula) create problems related to the disposal of waste and the demand for fresh water.

Tourist Activities

The extent of environmental impacts varies with the nature of tourist activities. Tourist flights over Antarctica cause minimal land impact. However these low flying aircraft can result in penguins stampeding or deserting their nests. This can result in eggs being crushed or scavenged by skuas (predatory birds). In addition to the noise pollution there is also concern about the impacts of the exhaust gases from the jet engines on wildlife.

Seaborne cruises create different impacts. For example, tourists wearing bright red parkas, travelling ashore in black zodiacs present a fearsome sight to penguins. Emissions from outboard motors and spills can pollute the air and discolour the water. Concern is also growing about the pressure increasing visitor numbers are placing on cultural heritage sites such as whaling and sealing stations and early exploration bases such as Scott’s 1902 Discovery Hut. There have been examples in the past where tourists have, removed historic artefacts and geological souvenirs, caused damage to heritage sites, and have left litter.

There have been a number of boating and aircraft mishaps. The worst was in 1979, when a New Zealand jet crashed, killing all 357 aboard. The oil spill resulting from the grounding of the tourist and supply ship the Bahai Parasio had major environmental consequences. Such incidents raise issues concerning the risks associated with inexperienced people coping with hazardous weather, the difficulty of mounting rescue operations after an emergency, and the associated interruption of research projects.

Political Geography

No nation has legal sovereignty over any part of Antarctica. Several countries do have territorial claims but these are not recognised by the international community. As a result enforcement of any tourist code of behaviour is difficult. Antarctic Treaty parties and tour cruise operators have responded to the increased growth in tourism by developing a set of guidelines for acceptable practice. The International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO) for example limits the numbers of passengers who can go onshore at a time, do not allow visits to Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), operate with only qualified experienced staff and make recommendations concerning the disposal of waste at sea. Unfortunately not all tourist companies are members of the IAATO and some may choose not to comply with the standards.

Although the IAATO guidelines recommend that tourists not to remove materials found onshore or leave litter behind and that they stay within 5 metres of wildlife such as penguins and 15 metres from seals and guides remind tourists of these ‘rules’, accidental and deliberate infringements do occur. For example visitors may mistake wildlife for rocks or become over-zealous in their attempts to photograph penguin chicks. While tourism is still relatively limited in Antarctica, with increasing interest in the frozen continent and the investment from tour operators, there exists the potential for considerable growth. Questions that arise relate to the impacts that further tourism development may have on Antarctica and how this growth can be managed/

controlled to ensure that the environmental values of Antarctica can be upheld for future generations?

Based on information contained in an article “Antarctica -Tourism’s last frontier” by Jane Dove in the Geography Review March

1997, Vol.10, pp14-18.

Other relevant material can be found on Antarctic New Zealand website http://www.antarcticanz.govt.nz School Resources -