Geography - Tourism - Extreme Environment - Antarctica CASE STUDY

Antarctica CASE STUDY

Background and Attractions of Antarctica Antarctica is a continent at the Earths South Pole. It covers an area of about 14 million km squared and about 98% of it is covered in ice. It is a unique/extreme environment as it is a difficult place to live and is relatively untouched by tourism and civilisation The number of tourists visiting Antarctica each year is rising, eg there were 7,413 in the 1996/7 season and 46,000 in the 2007/8 season. Tourists are attracted to the beautiful scenery (eg icebergs and glaciers) and the indigeious wildlife (eg penguins, seals and whales)

Why do people visit: to try something different they are looking for a challenge/thrill it is a once in a lifetime experience they may have an interest in the area they want to "conquer" a challenging environment It is becoming much easier to go to compared to before people are more aware about the attractions in the area they may wan to visit scientific research bases they may want to visit heritage sites eg past explorers like Captain Scott

Problems that tourists can cause for the environment and wildlife: Animals, especially penguins, can be very easily disturbed by tourists, meaning some animals may abandon their young Tourist may leave litter which can permanently affect the landscape as it doesn't decompose in the cold conditions Boats bringing tourists could leak oil, causing water pollution and damage to animals Tourists could walk on mosses, the only plans in the area which take thousands of years to grow, and damage or destroy them. Tourist only visit a small area of Antarctica and so these areas quickly become honey pot sites.

Management strategies to prevent damage to Antarctica: High cost of the holidays reduce the number of visitors so only people with a genuine interest will go In 2009 the IAATO passed a regulation banning ships carrying more than 500 passengers from visiting Antarctica Landings are limited to 100 passengers on shore t any time Minimum ratio of 1 guide to every 20 visitors Education of visitors raises awareness of the fragile landscape Strict guidelines on the disposal and control of waste, to prevent it from disrupting breeding animals and lichens No-go areas for visitors such as animal breeding grounds