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AUCKLAND
(AFP) - A vast ice-free area of Antarctica has been given
a new status in a bid to protect it following lobbying
by New Zealand and the United States, Antarctica New Zealand
(ANZ) said in a statement.
The 15,000 square kilometre (6,000 square mile) Dry Valleys
will become the first "Antarctic Specially Managed
Area".
The
Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting this week in Cape
Town approved the Managed Areas status, including a comprehensive
management plan.
A
second area, proposed by Australia, has also been approved
for a much smaller area at Cape Denison, south of Tasmania,
where the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (1911-1914),
led by Douglas Mawson, was based.
ANZ
chief executive Lou Sanson hailed the Dry Valleys decision.
"Achieving
this special status for the Dry Valleys is the result
of a very successful international collaboration".
Karl
Erb, Director of the United States Antarctic Program,
said "the McMurdo Dry Valleys are a unique venue
for research on subjects as diverse as the history of
the earth and the adaptation of life to extreme environments".
The
Dry Valleys, west of the New Zealand and US bases at McMurdo
Sound, contains the largest expanse of ice-free ground
in Antarctica.
The
cold desert environment encompasses soils millions of
years old, communities of unusual plants and microrganisms,
special geological features and spectacular scenery.
The
Dry Valleys are particularly sensitive to human disturbance
with extremely slow recovery rates, meaning that footprints
made in the 1950s in areas of low wind disturbance are
still clearly visible today.
They
are ice-free because the Transantarctic Mountains, which
run along the western edge of the Ross Sea, block the
Antarctic icesheet.
The
new agreement will ensure that the scientific, wilderness,
ecological, and aesthetic values of the Dry Valleys are
protected.
Under
the 1959 Antarctic Treaty all territorial claims in Antarctica
are suspended and the continent is managed by the treaty's
current 45 signatory states.
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AFP
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