NEW ZEALAND (7 Feb 2004) -- Antarctica's unique character is turning it into a playground for wealthy tourists and New Zealand is one country taking a stand against the increasing number of visitors to the frozen continent. As the tourist season comes to a close for the year, Antarctic experts will meet to decide whether tighter controls are needed. Antarctica is not only the world's coldest place - it's the driest, the most pristine and the most fragile. It's heaven for the amateur adventurer who wants to see the wild continent in comfort at a cost of around $30,000 for a berth on a Russian icebreaker. The Antarctic Treaty, drawn up in 1959, dedicates the continent to peace and science but there is debate over how tourism fits in. Some believe the tourists' money will save Antarctica, while others claim they'll destroy it. Trevor Hughes from the New Zealand Antarctic Policy Unit says with a predicted 26,000 visitors in summer, compared to 5,000 a decade ago, it is difficult to measure the "cumulative environmental impact". Most tourists go to the Antarctic peninsula, while only 500 head to the Ross Sea. After leaving the port of Lyttelton far behind it takes around six days to reach the ice. | | The cost and distance involved helps keep numbers low, but no one knows what even low numbers will do over time. Department of Conservation observer Rex Hendry says it's hard to tell when the wildlife is stressed. "I think there needs to be quite a bit more research into the behaviour of animals around people in situations like this," says Hendry. But the biggest concern is a maritime disaster. Hughes says if a large cruise liner ran aground or got into difficulty and spilled thousands of tonnes of heavy fuel oil around the coastline in Antarctica it would do immeasurable damage. The New Zealand Government will push for more power to restrain tourist activities at an international meeting next month - a debate that will test the resolve of international co-operation in an age of increasingly commercial values. |
