ENVIRONMENTALMANAGEMENTPLAN FORSOUTHGEORGIA Publicconsultationpaper IssuedbyBritishAntarcticSurveyattherequestoftheGovernmentof SouthGeorgiaandtheSouthSandwichIslands February1999 Thisconsultationdocumentsetsoutproposedpoliciesunderconsiderationby theGovernmentofSouthGeorgiaandtheSouthSandwichIslandsforthe futuremanagementofSouthGeorgia.Itisissuedtosolicitcommentand suggestionsfromthepublicabouttheproposedpolicies. TheGovernmentwillconsiderallresponsesbeforefinalisingthepoliciesand makinganynecessarylegislationforthefuturemanagementoftheisland.The GovernmentexpectstopublishthepoliciesinanEnvironmentalManagement Planlaterthisyear. Viewsmaybesubmittedbyindividualsandorganisationsonalloranypartof thisdocument.Wewouldparticularlywelcomeresponsestothequestions posedinSection3. Allcommentsandsuggestionsmustbereceivedby6April1999. PLEASESENDALLCORRESPONDENCEBYLETTER,FAXOR EMAILTO: Dr.E.McIntosh BritishAntarcticSurvey HighCross MadingleyRoad CambridgeCB30ET UnitedKingdom Telephone: +44(0)1223221640 Fax: +44(0)1223362616 Email: [email protected] ENVIRONMENTALMANAGEMENTPLANFORSOUTHGEORGIA Tableofcontents 1. Introduction Page 1.1 Locationandgeneraldescription........................................................ 1 1.2 Discoveryandhistory......................................................................... 1 1.3 Currentlegalstatus............................................................................. 5 1.4 Existingandproposedlegislation....................................................... 6 2. Resourceinventory 2.1 Climate................................................................................................ 9 2.2 Geomagneticfield............................................................................... 9 2.3 Geology,geomorphology,soilsandwaterresources.......................... 10 2.4 Glaciology........................................................................................... 11 2.5 Bathymetryandoceanography............................................................ 14 2.6 Marinecommunities 2.6.1 General.................................................................................... 16 2.6.2 Bottomdwellingfauna........................................................... 16 2.6.3 Demersalfishfauna................................................................ 17 2.6.4 Pelagicfauna.......................................................................... 18 2.6.5 Commercialfisheries.............................................................. 19 2.6.6 Littoralinvertebratespecies................................................... 20 2.6.7 Marineflora............................................................................ 20 2.7 Terrestrialcommunities 2.7.1 Vegetation.............................................................................. 21 2.7.2 Invertebrates............................................................................ 25 2.8 Birdcommunities............................................................................... 28 2.9 Mammalcommunities....................................................................... 33 2.10 Introducedanimals............................................................................. 37 2.11 Infrastructure 2.11.1 KingEdwardPoint................................................................. 40 2.11.2 BirdIslandresearchstation.................................................... 40 2.11.3 SouthGeorgiaMuseum......................................................... 41 2.11.4 Abandonedwhalingstations.................................................. 41 2.11.5 Otherhistoricsites................................................................. 42 3. Managementpolicies 3.1 Managementobjectives..................................................................... 43 3.2 Administration 3.2.1 Administrativeauthority........................................................ 44 3.2.2 Feesandcharges.................................................................... 44 3.2.3 Permitsandlicences.............................................................. 45 3.2.4 PostOffice............................................................................. 46 3.2.5 Searchandrescue.................................................................. 46 3.2.6 Mapsandcharts..................................................................... 46 3.3 FisheriesManagement 3.3.1 Developmentofconservationmeasures................................. 47 3.3.2 Objectivesforfisheriesmanagement..................................... 48 3.3.3 Licensing................................................................................ 48 3.3.4 Surveillanceandenforcement................................................ 49 3.3.5 Researchandsciencesupport................................................. 49 3.3.6 Administration........................................................................ 49 3.4 Conservation 3.4.1 Conservationvalue................................................................. 50 3.4.2 Currentpolicy-protectedareas............................................. 50 3.4.3 Proposalsonfuturemanagementpolicy forterrestrialandmarineareas............................................... 51 3.4.4 Rat-freeislands/groups........................................................... 53 3.4.5 Proposedmethodologyforidentifyingprotectedareas.......... 54 3.4.6 Monitoringimpacts................................................................ 54 3.4.7 Currentpolicy-controlstoprotectfaunaandflora............... 55 3.4.8 Proposalsoncollectionandexportofanimalsandplants...... 55 3.4.9 Proposalsonexportfeesandconditions................................. 56 3.4.10 Proposalsonthreatenedspecies.............................................. 56 3.4.11 Indigenousspecies.................................................................. 57 3.4.12 Controlofintroducedanimalsandplants............................... 57 3.4.13 Preventingfurtherintroductionsofalienbiotaanddiseases.. 60 3.4.14 Controlsonuseofvehicles.................................................... 60 3.4.15 Historicsitesandartefacts..................................................... 61 3.5 Research 3.5.1 Scientific..................................................................... 62 3.5.2 Historic....................................................................... 62 3.6 Visitormanagement 3.6.1 Background................................................................. 63 3.6.2 Existingvisitormanagementpolicy........................... 64 3.6.3 Proposedvisitormanagementpolicy.......................... 65 3.7 Education 3.7.1 SouthGeorgiaMuseum.............................................. 67 3.7.2 Publicinformationandeducation............................... 67 3.7.3 Mediainterestandculture.......................................... 68 3.8 Environmentalmanagement 3.8.1 Environmentalimpactassessmentandplanningprocedures.. 68 3.8.2 Managementofhazardousmaterials...................................... 70 3.8.3 Preventionofmarinepollution............................................... 71 3.8.4 Wastemanagement................................................................. 72 3.8.5 Fuelsupply,storageanduse................................................... 73 3.9. Mineralexplorationandexcavation................................................... 75 3.10 MonitoringandrevisionofManagementPlan................................... 75 4. Referencesandfurtherreading Annexes 1. ListoflegislationforSouthGeorgiaandtheSouthSandwich Islands 2. Listofhistoricsites,wrecksandvisitorsguidelines 3. Currentadministrativefeesandcharges 4. Fisheries:TotalAllowableCatchfortargetspecies 5. MapanddescriptionsofCandidateProtectedAreasandCandidate VulnerableAreas 6. Preliminarylistofrat-freeislands/groups 7. ProposedselectioncriteriaforidentifyingProtectedAreas 8. ProposedselectioncriteriaforidentifyingEnvironmentally SensitiveAreas 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 Locationandgeneraldescription SouthGeorgiaisanisolated,mountainoussub-AntarcticislandsituatedintheSouth AtlanticOceanbetween35047'to38001'Westand53058'to54053'South.Itliesabout 2000kmeastofTierradelFuego,and1390kmsouth-eastoftheFalklandIslands.Itis approximately170kmlongandvariesinwidthfrom2to40km,anditslongaxislies inanorth-westtosouth-eastdirection.Surroundedbycoldwatersoriginatingfrom Antarctica,SouthGeorgiahasaharsherclimatethanexpectedfromitslatitude.More than50%oftheislandiscoveredbypermanenticewithmanylargeglaciersreaching theseaattheheadoffjords.Themainmountainrange,theAllardyceRange,hasits highestpointatMountPaget(2960m). Therearemanyrocksoff-shoreandafewsmallislands,theprincipalonesbeing WillisIslandandBirdIslandoffthenorth-westtip,CooperIslandoffthesouth-east tip,andAnnenkovIsland,15kmtothesouth-west. ApartfromtheBritishAntarcticSurvey’sresearchstationatBirdIsland,asmall militarydetachmentandGovernmentrepresentativesatKingEdwardPointand Grytviken,thereisnopermanenthabitationonSouthGeorgia. 1.2 Discoveryandthehistoryofman’sintervention SouthGeorgiawasprobablydiscoveredbyaLondonmerchantAntoineLaRochéin 1675,butitwasnotuntil1775thatthefirstrecordedlandingwasmadebyCaptain JamesCook.AdetailedaccountofthehistoryofSouthGeorgiaisgivenbyHeadland (1984). Explorationandexpeditions Intheearlydaysfollowingitsdiscovery,apartfromtheactivitiesofsealers,therewas littleexplorationof,andfewexpeditionstoSouthGeorgia.Detailedexplorationofthe islanddidnotgetunderwayuntilAugust1882,whentheGermanInternationalPolar YearExpeditionbuiltaresearchstationinRoyalBayandworkedthereforabouta yearstudyingaspectsofmeteorology,geology,glaciology,zoologyandbotany.There