Environmental Protection
Antarctica New Zealand is committed to the protection of the Antarctic environment, and as a signing member of the Antarctic Treaty has a duty to ensure that all activities under its programme are carried out in an environmentally responsible manner. All field parties are required to submit an environmental impact assessment that identifies the potential impacts that their team’s field activities will have on the environment, months prior to their field work.
If the environmental impact assessment is acceptable, field teams may undertake their projects, agreeing to operate within the environmental policies that govern Antarctica and following New Zealand’s environmental code of conduct. This code of conduct outlines ways of minimizing the impact of individuals and groups on their areas of study.
As a field team under Antarctica New Zealand, the TABS research team takes its responsibility to minimize its environmental impact very seriously and all field team members are required to adhere to very strict guidelines in their field operations. All personnel are briefed in the environmental policies that govern the Dry Valleys and agree to follow these policies and Antarctica New Zealand’s environmental code of conduct prior to entering the field. Camps, and structures within camps, are set up in the same location every year to confine any human disturbance to the smallest possible area. All movements around camp are restricted to direct paths between structures, and people walk in single file when hiking together in the Dry Valleys to reduce their impacts on the soils. All waste, including grey water and human waste, is removed from the camp and flown to Scott Base to be disposed of in an acceptable manner.
All scientific activities are completed with minimal environmental impact and in accordance with permits to operate in the Dry Valleys. Through simple actions and conscientious behavior, it is possible to operate with little human impact on the fragile Dry Valley landscape.
Beyond these efforts, the TABS project strives to ensure future protection of Antarctica’s terrestrial ecosystems through its research. The major goal of the TABS project is to develop an ecological model that will help Antarctica New Zealand and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, those charged with protecting the Dry Valleys, to make informed decisions about how to best manage areas in this remarkable ecosystem. Such work and cooperative efforts will help to keep Antarctica and the Dry Valleys as a pristine natural environment for future generations. |
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