Conservation and management frameworks for sub-Antarctic international waters

Abstract

The waters of rhe sub-Antarctic Southern Ocean are legally distinctive from those which fall within the Antarctic Treaty area extending to 60 degrees South, not only because the Treaty does not apply in those waters but also because sovereignty over sub-Antarctic islands is largely uncontested. As a result, many of the countries claiming sub-Antarctic possessions are able to assert the full range of maritime claims, resulting in sub-Antarctic waters being a mixture of state-controlled waters and those which fall under either international fisheries regimes such as the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) or are high seas. Conservation and management of sub-Antarctic waters other than with respect to fishing have not received the same priority as they have in waters around the continent. However, the same issues arise and are in fact magnified due to the greater accessibility of the northern reaches of the Southern Ocean and potential for greater environmental and resource impact. The extent of the international waters of the Sub-Antarctic Southern Ocean is clarified here, the applicable international management regimes are reviewed and the contemporary issues confronting the region are considered. Proposals are considered for enhanced internationalisation of the region.