Chilean Bárbara Hernández achieves record for longest Antarctic swim with urgent call to increase protection of its waters

Antarctica, 6th February 2023: Yesterday the Chilean ice-water swimmer, Bárbara Hernández, made history by being the first person to swim 2.5 kilometers in the frozen waters of Antarctica. Hernández, an experienced open water swimmer with previous world records including the Guinness World Record for completing the fastest ocean mile swim through the Drake Passage in southern Chile, is currently onboard a Chilean …

Two countries ignore scale of biodiversity crisis by thwarting progress needed to protect Antarctica’s ocean

Hobart, 4th November 2022 Today the international body responsible for safeguarding Antarctica’s waters finished its annual meeting with a mixed bag in terms of progress to protect marine life in the region. The 27 members that make up the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) identified further vulnerable areas and committed to conduct more science on …

REACTION FROM ASOC: CONTINUED HIGH-LEVEL SUPPORT FOR SOUTHERN OCEAN PROTECTION AT ONE OCEAN SUMMIT

Reaction from the Antarctic Southern Ocean Coalition  Brest, France: The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition welcomed the announcements from President Macron at the One Ocean Summit that will help safeguard further Antarctica’s waters. These include France publishing at the end of the month its first national polar strategy as well as the creation of the second largest marine protected area …

CCAMLR: Another Missed Opportunity to Protect Antarctica

October 29th, 2021: Today the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)1 – the body responsible for Antarctic marine conservation – concluded its 40th annual meeting, which took place virtually with a restricted schedule. For the fifth year running, no Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been agreed, despite leading scientists and 1.5 million members of the public …

Scientists and experts commemorate 30th anniversary of Madrid Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty

Today (4 October), ministers, leading scientists and experts from around the world are meeting at the Archeological Museum of Madrid to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Madrid Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty. In 1991, this Protocol, hailed as a significant achievement for environmental governance, declared the full protection of the entire Antarctic continent from exploitation. 

EU Ministerial Press Statement

BRUSSELS: Today Ministers from countries backing further Antarctic marine protection are meeting to discuss how to win support of Russia and China for increased action. European Commissioner, Virginijus Sinkevičius, is hosting ministers ahead of the annual meeting of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Living Marine Resources (CCAMLR) that will decide on three large-scale protection proposals in the Southern …