29 



TESTIMONY OF ROBERT H. RUTFORD 



EXCELLENCE IN EDUCATION FOUNDATION CHAIR 



PROFESSOR OF GEOSCIENCES 



THE UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS AT DALLAS 



BEFORE THE COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE 

 UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 



APRIL 18, 1996 



Mr. Chairman, 



I am Robert H. Rutford, a professor from The University of Texas at Dallas where 

 I hold the Excellence in Education Foundation Chair in Geosciences. I am a geolo- 

 gist who first went to Antarctica as a graduate student in 1959, completed a PhD 

 dissertation dealing with the Ellsworth Mountains in Antarctica, and who made my 

 fourteenth trip to Antarctica in January of 1995 to conduct research in the Royal 

 Society Mountain Range across McMurdo Sound from McMurdo Station. 



It is an honor for me to be here today to talk with you about Antarctica, science 

 on that continent, and the leadership role that the United States has played in the 

 Antarctic since the International Geophysical Year of 1955-56. 



The passage of H.R. 3060 will enable the U.S. to become a party to the Protocol. 

 The Environmental Protocol reinforces the role of the Antarctic as a place for 

 science of global significance and for peaceful purposes. It further reflects the link- 

 age between the protection of the Antarctic environment and the future conduct of 

 science. 



This has long been recognized by the Antarctic science community. The group of 

 science advisors who came together to plan the International Geophysical Year 

 (IGY) ultimately became SCAB. It was this group that not only launched the 

 present science programs in Antarctica, but they also were the precursor to the Ant- 

 arctic Treaty. SCAR became a permanent body after the IGY and has provided a 

 continuing link between the science community and the Antarctic Treaty mecha- 

 nism. 



SCAR is a non-governmental body that links the science programs of all nations 

 active in Antarctic research. SCAR does not conduct research but rather continually 

 reviews the status of research and suggests areas where there is a need for addi- 

 tional study. It is the international scientific organization that represents the sci- 

 entists in Antarctic matters. 



In the U.S. the Polar Research Board of the National Academy of Sciences is Na- 

 tional Committee for SCAR. I am the Delegate from the U.S. to SCAR. In the past 

 I have served in many roles on the PRB, and I am the immediate past Chairman. 

 The function of the PRB is to provide counsel and advice to agencies and others con- 

 cerning Antarctic and Arctic science. 



There is a long history of actions by SCAR and within the Antarctic Treaty Con- 

 sultative Meetings (ATCM) that reflect a continuing concern by the scientific com- 

 munity for the environment. These actions date back to at least 1960 when SCAR 

 developed "General Rules of Conduct for the Preservation and Conservation of Liv- 

 ing Resources in Antarctica." At the first ATCM in 1961 the representatives urged 

 their governments to recognize the need for measures to conserve living resources, 

 and Recommendation 1-8 from that meeting promulgated general rules of conduct 

 along the lines of those proposed by SCAR. 



In 1964, again following a proposal from SCAR, the ATCM adopted "Agreed Meas- 

 ures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora." These Agreed Measures 

 refer to the Antarctic as a Special Conservation Area, they require permits for any 

 activities relating to native animals and birds, they designate Specially Protected 

 Areas (SPAs) end prohibit entry into them except in accordance with a permit is- 

 sued for scientific reasons. 



Sites of Special Scientific Interest were designated by Recommendation VII-3 in 

 1972 and The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals was concluded in 

 the same year. This brought SCAR directly into the Treaty arena as the contracting 

 parties to the Convention report relevant activities not only to other parties but also 

 to SCAR, and SCAR is asked to recommend quotas, etc. to the Convention parties. 

 In 1980 the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources 

 (CCAMLR) was completed, and in 1991 the Protocol on Environmental Protection 



