Activities Related to Non-Living Resources 



Activities associated with exploration for and exploitation 

 of non-living resources, particularly offshore oil and gas 

 deposits, could have direct and indirect effects on whales, 

 seals, krill, and other components of the Southern Ocean 

 ecosystem. The Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties recognize 

 these risks and, at the Xth Antarctic Treaty Consultative 

 Meeting held in Washington, D.C. in September-October 1979, 

 the Consultative Party representatives recommended: that 

 their governments facilitate the development of research 

 programs which would contribute to an improved understanding 

 of relevant aspects of Antarctica and its environment; that 

 the question of mineral exploration and exploitation be 

 placed on the agenda for consideration at the Xlth Consultative 

 Meeting; and that, prior to the Xlth Consultative Meeting, a 

 meeting be held to consider the ecological, political, 

 technological, legal, and other aspects of a possible Antarctic 

 minerals regime. The representatives also noted that an 

 agreed regime should provide a means for judging the acceptability 

 of proposed exploration and development activities as well 

 as for governing those activities judged to be acceptable. 



The Marine Mammal Commission helped develop U.S. positions 

 for resource-related issues considered during the Xth Antarctic 

 Treaty Consultative Meeting, the Special Meeting on Antarctic 

 Mineral Resources held in Washington, D.C. from 8-12 December 

 1980, and the Xlth Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting 

 held in Buenos Aires from 23 June to 7 July 1981. To help 

 prepare for the latter meeting and subsequent negotiation of 

 a minerals regime, the Commission, early in 1981, contracted 

 for the preparation of a paper entitled "Environmental 

 Aspects of Potential Petroleum Exploration and Exploitation 

 in Antarctica: Forecasting and Evaluating Risks." A draft 

 of that paper (now available in final form from tne National 

 Technical Information Service, see Appendix B, Green Hammond) was 

 provided to the Department of State and other agencies for 

 use in preparing for the Xlth Antarctic Treaty Consultative 

 Meeting . 



At that meeting, delegates adopted a recommendation 

 calling on their governments to convene a special consultative 

 meeting to: (1) elaborate a regime for Antarctic mineral 

 resources; (2) determine whether the regime should be in the 

 form of an international instrument such as a convention or 

 take some other form; (3) establish a schedule for negotiations, 

 using informal meetings and sessions of the special consultative 

 meeting as appropriate; and (4) take any other steps that might 

 be necessary to facilitate the conclusion of the regime, 

 including a decision as to the procedure for its adoption. 



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