How do you measure success when assessing one of the most remarkable examples of international collaboration and diplomacy ever? And what role does the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), as the UK's National Antarctic Programme, play in ensuring the future success of the Antarctic Treaty System?
Oliver Darke, Director of Polar Operations, Engineering, and Infrastructure at British Antarctic Survey, has just returned from the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in Milan. He's a member of the UK delegation to the Antarctic Treaty since 2023 and is the Vice Chair of the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programmes. He reflects on what the Treaty represents and the role British Antarctic Survey plays.
The Antarctic Treaty and its principles
The Antarctic Treaty, signed on December 1, 1959, is a landmark agreement that governs Antarctica. The foundational principle of the Antarctic Treaty is the dedication of Antarctica to peaceful purposes and scientific research, banning military activity and promoting international cooperation.
At the heart of the treaty are the 'Articles'. Article I, which prohibits military use, Article II, which guarantees the freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation. And perhaps most notably, Article IV, which puts aside all territorial sovereignty claims, neither recognizing nor rejecting them, thereby preventing conflict over land ownership. The full list of articles is available on the Antarctic Treaty System website. This legal framework has helped maintain Antarctica as a continent devoted to peace and science for over six decades.
The challenge ahead for the Antarctic Peninsula - vast science haven? Or global piggy bank?
Antarctica is a continent of vast scale (twice the size of Australia), with no native human population and conflicting territorial claims that hold untapped, extensive, resources. Historically, the economic value of Antarctic minerals has partly been guarded by its geography, including extensive winter sea ice. This has made any quiet ambitions to exploit the continent muted by the costs of extraction. This, paired with an effective Antarctic Treaty System (ATS), has proven to be a sound barrier to entry with real longevity.
In future, as the Antarctic climate changes and the winter sea ice reduces, this geographical barrier will soon open the Antarctic to shipping throughout the year. Exploiting the Antarctic peninsula (which is warming at 5 times the global average and faster than anywhere in the southern hemisphere) will become increasingly possible, and with reducing logistics costs, potentially more economically attractive. This could leave the ATS and its parties under increasing pressure, with the only tool to protect the Antarctic environment being continued international agreement and the ability to find consensus.
This complexity will be compounded by the waxing and waning of the geopolitical context outside of Antarctica. The Antarctic Treaty System has weathered geopolitical storms throughout it's near 60-year life. These are set to continue and move at a pace that will test the resolve of treaty nations.
This is where National Antarctic Programmes (like BAS) have an opportunity to play a disproportionately impactful role in ensuring policy makers have evidence that working together, in pursuit of a common goal, is not only possible but essential if we are to understand Antarctica and the impact it has on our world.
Quiet diplomacy. The role and impact of National Antarctic Programmes (NAPs)
While the Antarctic Treaty lays out the political and legal foundation, its implementation depends heavily on the actions and cooperation of national Antarctic programmes (NAPs). These are government-run organisations responsible for managing each country's scientific operations and presence in Antarctica. Their role is both operational and diplomatic.
NAPs are tasked with ensuring that all national activities comply with the Treaty and its associated instruments, including the Protocol on Environmental Protection (Madrid Protocol, 1991). They oversee research stations, coordinate logistics, and enforce environmental standards.
More than that, NAPs serve as the primary points of contact among nations operating in Antarctica. Through regular consultations, information exchanges, and joint expeditions, NAPs build trust and transparency. Vital for a continent governed by consensus rather than sovereignty. It is a role of significant responsibility, where a failure to ensure the continued implementations of the treaty or the protocol on environmental protection could have severe and long-term diplomatic consequences (accidental or not).
National Antarctic Programmes (NAPs) provide a frontline diplomatic engine, driving the spirit of the Antarctic Treaty into the minds of policy makers. They are the evidence to the world that working together in pursuit of a common goal remains achievable in Antarctica. In increasingly challenging geopolitical conditions across the world, the actions of NAPS, and the impact of their science, ensures governments continue to witness Antarctic diplomacy in action and that the spirit of the treaty remains steadfast.
NAPs also play a key diplomatic role at the annual Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings (ATCM), where representatives from treaty parties review compliance, propose policy measures, and make consensus-based decisions. The scientific and logistical information provided by NAPs is indispensable in these meetings, ensuring decisions are grounded in operational reality and scientific expertise.
Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP)
The Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP), established in 1988, facilitates much of this front-line international collaboration. COMNAP brings together managers of NAPs to coordinate operations, enhance safety, share logistics, and promote environmental stewardship. These efforts reduce duplication and improve efficiency, reflecting the spirit of cooperation the treaty seeks to uphold.
Conclusions and reflections
In times of geopolitical headwinds, the Antarctic Treaty has remained a relative beacon of stability, with the professional, apolitical work of NAPs having a disproportionately positive impact.
During the Cold War, Soviet and American scientists worked side by side in Antarctica under the same regulatory framework. Today, Russia and Ukraine are at the same table, peacefully contributing to the Antarctic Treaty System. This peaceful engagement with the Antarctic Treaty System must be not only protected but celebrated.
When considering, what is success for the Antarctic Treaty? It's easy to be frustrated by areas not achieving consensus in recent years (the protection of Emperor Penguins for example). However, it is critical to assess the Treaty's performance against its core deliverables, to protect the continent for peace and science. In its simplest form, the Antarctic Treaty is a conflict and exploitation prevention tool, covering an entire continent. A remarkable diplomatic triumph that will likely never be repeated. It continues, despite tensions elsewhere, to deliver on its core principles.
Although consensus can be illusive, the fact that in the face of such obvious challenges around the world, governments continue to convene to progress and protect the Antarctic treaty is a remarkable achievement.
Its longevity and effectiveness are due not only to its legal architecture but thanks to the essential work of National Antarctic Programmes. These programmes do more than manage logistics, they are the front line diplomats of Antarctic governance, quietly maintaining one of the world's most successful examples of international cooperation. Ultimately, playing a vital role in ensuring the future of Antarctica is a peaceful one.
