| Ship's Diary |
| During her time at sea, HMS Endurance will be sending back regular diaries to keep us all up to date with what is happening on this deployment. Use the links below to read extracts from the diary. |
| Site Guidelines Review Team |
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Lots of people want to visit Antarctica. It is one of the most stunning places on the earth. Over the last few years, the number of people coming here, mainly on cruise ships, has grown enormously. Last year, around 30,000 people came to the Antarctic Peninsula.
At the last meeting of those countries who have signed the Antarctic Treaty, held in Stockholm in June 2005, Site Guidelines for four tourist sites were agreed. The UK was then asked to lead a review of these four sites, plus a further seven sites, shown on the map.
The findings of the review team will be put to the Committee of Environmental Protection at the next Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting. It is hoped that the Antarctic Treaty countries will agree all eleven of the revised Site Guidelines. The next Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting will be held in Edinburgh between 12 and 23 June. This will be a very special occasion for the UK, as it has not hosted the meeting since 1977. The two-week meeting will bring together all of the countries who have signed the Antarctic Treaty to discuss the environmental, legal and political aspects of ensuring that Antarctica is protected as a continent for peace and science. It is planned that HMS Endurance will visit Edinburgh during the two weeks of the Treaty Meeting, to show the work that the ship does in Antarctica to those at the Meeting, and to the people of Edinburgh. Jane Rumble Polar Regions Unit Foreign and Commonwealth Office |
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