International Council of Scientific Unions No12 report October 1996 Contents SCAR Group of Specialists on EnvironmentalAlfairs and Conservation (GOSEAC) Report of GOSEAC V meeting, 1994 1 Report of GOSEAC VI meeting, 1995 14 Report of GOSEAC VII meeting, 1996 32 Published by the SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE ON ANTARCTIC RESEARCH at the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom INfERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF SCIENTIFIC UNIONS SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE ON ANTARCTIC RESEARCH SCAR Report No 12, October 1996 Contents SCAR Group of Specialists on Environmental Affairs and Conservation (GOSEAC) Report ofGOSEAC V meeting, 1994 1 Report of GOSEAC VI meeting, 1995 14 Report ofGOSEAC VII meeting, 1996 32 Published by the SCIENTIFIC COMMITTEE ON ANTARCTIC RESEARCH at the Scott Polar Research Institute, Cambridge, United Kingdom SCAR GROUP OF SPECIALISTS ON ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS AND CONSERVATION Report of the fifth meeting, GOSEAC V, held at !he 2. Through SCAR Executive to maintain links with inter­ Universitll, Gorizia, Italy, 21-24 April 1993. national organizations. Group memberS attending this Fiflh meeting were: D 3. To keep the rel~v~nt SCAR and CO MN AP subsidiary W H Walton (Convenor), J M Acero, P J Barrett, K groups informed. Birkenmajer, E Fania, M Manzoni, H Miller, M Oehme, J The Convenor noted !hat only one of the GOSEAC CA Sayers, PTrehen and J Valencia. RM Laws (President Recommendations tabled at XXIJ SCAR had been adopted of SCAR), PR Dingwall (IUCN), B Marks (The Antarc­ by Delegates. The President explained that some of !he tica Project), M De Poorter (ASOC), and J Dalziell Recommendations had been too general and others had (Greenpeace) attended as Observers. PD Clarkson (Ex­ political connotations. He stressed that it was important ecutive Secretary, SCAR) acted as Secretary toGOSEAC. that Recommendations to SCAR should be precise and specific. 1. Opening Business The Convenor stated !hat it was not the role ofGOSEAC The Convenor welcomed !he Members and Observers to to pre-empt or anticipate political decisior)S but to provide the meeting and noted that !he membership of GOSEAC quality scientific advice to ensure that relevant political had been substantially revised by the SCAR Executive at decisions were soundly based. XXJI SCAR in San Carlos de Bariloche during June 1992. He particularly welcomed Dr R M Laws, President of 2.2 Operation ofGOSEAC SCAR, to the meeting. The President briefed the meeting on the SCAR Rules of The Convenor thanked Dr Manzoni fof the meeting Procedure applicable to !he operation of Groups of Spe­ arrangements and asked that the Group's appreciation be cialists as follows: conveyed to the Universitll administration for ihe invita­ • Groups of Specialists are not permanent groups but tion to meet in such delightful surroundings.. · exist only as long as is necessary to address the particular problems for which they are created. 1.1 Adoption of agenda and work plans He continued to report on the discussion on the mem­ The Agenda (Appendix 1) and the proposed work plans bership of Groups of Specialists by the SCAR Executive at were adopted. its recent meeting. The following proposals by !he Execu­ 1.2 Appointment ofRapporteurs tive will be circulated to National Committees for ap­ proval: The following were appointed Rapporteurs: JC A Sayers (Agenda items 1-5); J Dalziell (Agenda item 6); J Valencia • The status of Full Members remains unchanged. (Agenda items 7 .1 and 7 .2); H Miller (Agenda items 7 .3- They are appointed by SCAR and funded by SCAR 7 .5); P J Barrett (Agenda items 8.1-8.5); PD Clarkson to attend meetings of the Group. (Agenda items 8.6-12); • Associate Members will be prop0sed by !he Group of Specialists to augment the expertise of the Group. 2. Terms of Reference and Operation of GOSEAC They will be funded from other sources, typically a national organization, but not by SCAR. They may 2.1 Terms of Reference be funded by the Group of Specialists from any The Tenns of Reference for GOSEAC were discussed by income which the Group may derive from sources the SCAR Executive at XXII SCAR. The new Convenor outside SCAR. prepared a paper considering the Tenns of Reference and • Corresponding Members will be proposed by Na­ operation of the Group, which was discussed by the SCAR tional Committees but they will not have the right to Executive at its meeting in Stockholm, Sweden, immedi­ attend meetings except by the invitation of !he Con• ately.prior to this GOSEAC meeting. Minor amendments venor of !he Group. Corresponding Members may were made and the Tenns of Reference were approved as notbeproposedbyaNationalCommitteewhenthere follows: is already a Full or Associate Member of the Group 1. To advise SCAR on scientific and related matters from that country. Corresponding Members attend­ concerning environmental affairs and conservation in ing meetings by invitation shall have the status of the SCAR area of interest, in particular; Observers at lhe meeting. · · • identification of environmental criteria relating to • Observers may be invited by the Convenor, in con­ research activities and associated logistic support, as sultation with the SCAR Executive,' to attend meet­ well as to relevant commercial activities, and to the ings or an invitation may be requested by !he local selection of sites for all types of stations; organization hosting the meeting, typically for • environmental aspects of waste disposal; younger scientists who would benefit by attending • protected areas in the Antarctic; the meeting. SCAR is not responsible for funding • additional protective measures. Observers. Active participation in the meeting by Observers is at the discretion of the Convenor in It was pleasing to note that a major part of the final consultation with the Full Members of the Group of report on the meeting contained substantial sections of the Specialists. SCAR-COMNAP document and its proposals. The Rec­ The Convenor advised the meeting that the operation ommendations included the need for a data management of GOSEAC meetings will generally follow the estab­ system, the importance of co-ordination for all environ­ lished practice of previous meetings, that all present (Full mental monitoring. requests that SCAR provide advice on and Associate Members, and Observers) will be able to emission standards, marine pollution and long-term moni­ contribute to discussions. toring programmes, and a requirement for a second meet­ It was noted that the intention to hold annual Antarctic ing of experts to advise on the technical aspects of moni­ Treaty meetings will challengeGOSEAC to provide timely toring. Concern had been expressed at the Meeting of advice. In this respect, the timing of GOSEAC meetings Experts regarding the high level of resources and associ­ will be critical and there will be increasing pressure to ated costs which may be absorbed in implementing envi­ progress matters inter-sessionally. It is intended to use ronmental monitoring programmes. electronic mail to facilitate communication between mem­ 5.3 XVI/ ATCM bers and hopefully to accelerate the production of discus­ sion and other papers for meetings. The Convenor reported that at the request of the President he had represented SCAR at the meeting. Several matters 3. Report of the previous meeting, GOS EA C IV were discussed which were of interest to GOSEAC: The report of the previous meeting, GOSEAC IV. had been • Terms of Reference for CEP circulated to members. There were no comments or • Inspections under the Treaty questions on the report. • Environmental monitoring 4. Matters arising • Environmental management • Protected Area System The Convenor advised that matters arising from GOSEAC • Tourism IV have been incorporated into the agenda of this meeting. Whereas a Committee on Environmental Protection With reference to the Bonner and Lewis Smith mono­ (CEP) is to be established by the Parties in accordance with graph on Protected Areas, the Convenor noted that the the Protocol, it may be a considerable time before the CEP project is now in abeyance because of the new require­ is functioning. Until the CEP is established, GOSEAC, ments for protected areas under Annex V of the Protocol through SCAR, is likely to remain the principal source of on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty. scientific advice on environmental matters. The Convenor Unfortunately much of the work on this project now needs considered that GOSEAC should become more pro-active to be substantially revised. in this respecL S. Meeting reports SCAR was requested to provide advice on a number of complex matters associated with several of these subject 5.1 XX// SCAR. Bariloche areas. The Convenor stated that XX!! SCAR was a highly suc­ The importance of the Treaty Parties resolving the cessful meeting and that the Argentine authorities were to liability issue was discussed by the Group. J Valencia be congratulated for their efforts in successfully organiz­ advised that Chile has an emergency response plan and ing such a complex series of inter-related meetings and support services in place to react to environmental threats activities. and other emergencies in the Antarctic Peninsula region. H Miller advised that the Working Group on Glaciology The Convenor reported that the US authorities had had discussed a GOSEAC request to identify large areas of contracted Dr J A Heap, Director of the Scott Polar the polar ice sheet as pristine glaciological ASPAs. The Research Institute, Cambridge, to provide a comprehen­ Working Group had requested that information on previ­ sive listing of Antarctic Treaty Recommendations and to ous oversnow traverses and field activities need to be revise the Antarctic Treaty Handbook. provided by COMNAP before the work could be under­ The Treaty Parties had requested that SCAR and taken. It was agreed that the Working Group on Glaciology COMNAP jointly develop an inspection check-list for the andonGeodesyandGeographiclnformationandGOSEAC inspection of station facilities in accordance with the should liaise to determine the appropriate action.