Challenges and opportunities for Southern Ocean and Antarctic governance

• Main Author: Vince, JZ
• Format: Conference Object
• Language: English
• Published: Climate and Sustainability Policy Research Group 2019
• Subjects: Studies in Human Society; Policy and Administration; Public Policy; Antarctic; Southern Ocean; The Antarctic; Antarc*
• Online Access: http://ecite.utas.edu.au/137740

Surrounding the vast Antarctic continent is the treacherous Southern Ocean that is rich in marinelife. The Antarctic region is governed by the Antarctic Treaty System which is made up ofinternational agreements that manage marine resources and protect the Antarctic environment.Governance of this marine space is further complicated by other regimes outside of the AntarcticTreaty System such as the Law of the Sea Convention that gives Antarctic Treaty claimant states theability to assert claims to adjacent offshore areas. In Australias case, the Australian AntarcticTerritory and its adjacent Exclusive Economic Zone are not recognised by all states involved in theregion. Consequently, these governance issues have resulted in political tensions for claimant statesover maritime boundaries, the use of marine resources in the Southern Ocean, and the level ofenvironmental protection. This paper analyses these tensions and the on-going challenges that arefaced by states involved in activities in the Southern Ocean. It also addresses the opportunities thatthese governance arrangements can provide in this era of environmental and political uncertainty.