Antarctic Environments Portal launched
International flags, McMurdo Base, Antarctica (Richard Gordon).
Antarctica is designated as a natural reserve devoted to peace and science. Changing climate, non-native species and human activities increasingly affect parts of the continent, including its biodiversity.
Managing these issues is challenging for the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP). To support the CEP and its member countries, we developed the open-access Antarctic Environments Portal, where high quality, apolitical, policy ready research summaries address issues for governance attention or further investigation. Portal material is subject to rigorous editorial processes and is available in all four official languages of the Antarctic Treaty. The Portal also allows scientists to bring emerging issues to the attention of policy makers in a way previously not possible.
The Portal was officially launched in June 2015 at the 38th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting and the 18th CEP Meeting in Bulgaria, where it was very well received by the Antarctic policy and science communities, with the Treaty Parties formally agreeing to its adoption. The Portal maintains New Zealand’s strong leadership in the management of Antarctica.