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The Antarctic Environmental Protocol will enter into force when ratified by all 26 

 of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties. Six countries have yet to complete the 

 ratification process, including the United States. Although the U.S. signed the Envi- 

 ronmental Protocol nearly five years ago and the Senate gave its advice and consent 

 in 1992, the passage of implementing legislation is necessary in order to submit the 

 instruments of ratification to the Department of State, which receives the instru- 

 ments of ratification of all nations on behalf of the U.S. as the depository govern- 

 ment. Enactment of implementing legislation has been delayed by negotiations re- 

 garding striking a balance with the management of research programs that will en- 

 sure strong protections for the Antarctic environment. 



Many have played important roles in crafting the compromise set forth in H. R. 

 3060, from the National Science Foundation and the State Department to The Ant- 

 arctica Project and Greenpeace. In addition, Mr. Chairman, your help in moving the 

 implementation process forward by sponsoring H.R. 3060 and holding this hearing 

 has been invaluable. World Wildlife Fund, on behalf of the members of the Antarctic 

 and Southern Ocean Coalition, strongly supports H.R. 3060 and urges its expedi- 

 tious passage.)^ 

 I. BACKGROUND 



Antarctica is among the last great wildernesses and a precious global resource. 

 The continent is larger than the United States and Mexico combined and represents 

 10% of the Earth's land mass. Ice and snow averaging over a mile in thickness cover 

 98% of the continent, storing an estimated 90% of the Earth's fresh water. Antarc- 

 tica possesses an abundance of fish and wildlife and plays a central role in regulat- 

 ing the Earth's environmental processes by influencing global tides, sea levels, and 

 atmospheric processes. The untrammelled nature of the region also provides a re- 

 search environment for understanding and monitoring global warming, ozone deple- 

 tion, and atmospheric pollution. 



Scientifc interest in Antarctica dates back to the late nineteenth century, when 

 several nations commenced explorations of the continent. In the first half of the 

 20th century, seven countries^ claimed sovereignty over land in Antarctica. The 

 United States and the former Soviet Union made no territorial claims in Antarctica 

 and did not recognize the claims of other nations. ^ 



The International Geophysical Year (1957-58) saw an increase in Antarctic stud- 

 ies. Participating countries recognized the importance of the work then undertaken 

 and the need for increased international cooperation in the region. The United 

 States proposed a treaty that would preserve the continent as an international sci- 

 entific laboratory and ensure its use for peaceful purposes. The Antarctic Treaty, the 

 cornerstone of the subsequent treaty system governing the area, was signed in 1959 

 and entered into force on June 23, 1961. The Antarctic Treaty establishes the inter- 

 national legal framework for Antarctica and guarantees free access and research 

 rights to the world community. 



The meetings of the Consultative Parties to the Antarctic Treaty have generated 

 additional international agreements regarding the preservation and conservation of 

 living resources. The Parties negotiated Agreed Measures for the Conservation of 

 Antarctic Fauna and Flora during the 1960s and supplemented those measures in 

 1972 and 1985. As it now stands, the agreement forbids killing, capturing, or inter- 

 fering with native birds or mammals without a permit, obliges Treaty members to 

 minimize marine pollution and harm to Antarctic living conditions, protects biologi- 

 cal communities within Specially Protected Areas, and prohibits importation of 

 nonindigenous species except under permit. Congress provided statutory enforce- 

 ment authority for these measures through passage of the Antarctic Conservation 

 Act of 1978, under which the Director of the National Science Foundation promul- 

 gates regulations and issues permits. 



In addition, the Consultative Parties negotiated the Convention for the Conserva- 

 tion of Antarctic Seals to prevent over-narvesting. The Convention, which was 

 signed in 1972 and entered into force in 1978, prohibits the killing or capturing of 



iThe U.S. members of the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition are: American Cetacean 

 Society, American Littoral Society, Animal Welfare Institute, The Antarctica Project, Cetacean 

 Society International, Defenders of Wildlife, Earth Island Institute, Earthkind, Friends of the 

 Earth (USA), Friends of Whales, Greenpeace (USA), The Humane Society of the United States, 

 International Fund for Animal Welfare, Monitor Consortium, Monitor International, National 

 Audubon Society, National Parks and Conservation Association, National Wildlife Federation, 

 Natural Resources Defense Council, Ocean Alliance, Sierra Club, Sierra Club Legal Defense 

 Fund, The Wilderness Society, Windstar Foundation, World Society for Protection of Animals, 

 and World Wildlife Fund. 



2 Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom. 



3 However, both have "reserved" their basic historic "rights" to assert claims on the continent. 



