Grant Award View - GA67196
Conservation Planning for Antarctic Stations
- GA67196-V1 - Change to Project End Date. (10-Feb-2020 )
Many Antarctic stations are built in coastal areas of high conservation significance, which can be compromised by a station's operations. At Casey, for example, there are earthworks, heavy machinery and logistical activities operating alongside some of the most well-developed and extensive plant communities on continental Antarctica. Legal obligations derived from the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty mean that conservation planning should be a key consideration of current and proposed Antarctic station operational projects. However, knowledge of what values need protecting and where is often lacking or unavailable to the relevant groups that plan operational activities. This project aims to develop a systematic conservation planning approach to provide usable information for station operators. A test case of Casey includes collating data on natural values, known human presence, risks, effects, and impacts, to provide operators with conservation tools.