IAATO Guidelines
Antarctica is the largest wilderness area on earth and is particularly vulnerable to human presence. Life in Antarctica must contend with one of the harshest environments on earth, and tourists need to take care that their presence does not add more stress to this fragile and unique ecosystem.
Tourists in Antarctica
These visitor guidelines were prepared by IAATO – the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators – whose objective it is to work within the Antarctic Treaty System and develop cooperation between private–sector travel and the international scientific community. IAATO was founded in 1991 by 7 companies and now has 80 members.
- Do not disturb, harass or interfere with the wildlife. Be especially careful while taking photographs, since it is easy to not notice adverse reactions of animals when concentrating through the lens of a camera. Disturbing nesting birds may cause them to expose their eggs/offspring to the cold or predators.
- Do not walk on or otherwise damage the fragile plants, ie: lichens, mosses and grasses. Harsh living conditions and poor soil means growth and regeneration of these plants is extremely slow. Damage from human activity among the moss beds can last for decades.
- Leave nothing behind and do not take souvenirs. Leave no litter ashore and do not take souvenirs, including rocks, fossils, plants, whale and seal bones, or anything which might be historical or of scientific value.
- Do not interfere with protected areas or scientific research. Avoid entering all officially protected areas, and do not disturb any ongoing scientific studies. Scientific research in Antarctica is in the interest of everyone – visitors, scientists and laymen.
- Historic huts may only be entered when accompanied by a properly authorised escort. Nothing may be removed from or disturbed within historic huts.
- Do not smoke during shore excursions. Fire is a very serious hazard in the dry climate of Antarctica. Great care must be taken to safeguard against this danger.
- Stay with your group or with one of the ship’s leaders when ashore. Never wander off alone or out of sight of others. Do not hike on to glaciers or large snow fields, as there is a real danger of falling into hidden crevasses.
The real potential threat to Antarctica from tourists is from non IAATO member ships and tour operators who run cruises with larger ships and greater numbers of people landing. Larger ships or ships that are not specifically designed to sail in polar conditions are more difficult to manoeuvre in ice than smaller ships as of concern is the possibility of accidents with ships being grounded on uncharted rocks or a shipping disaster that would result in a devastating oil spill. With the best safe-guards in the world (and it has to be said that marine regulations for Antarctic ships, both statuary and self-imposed are as good as they get) the more ships there are, the more accidents there will be.
There have been two major exceptions to the safe record of Antarctic tourism. In November 1979, an Air New Zealand sightseeing aeroplane tragically crashed into Mount Erebus (East Antarctica), killing everyone on board. In January 1989, a supply ship from Argentina carrying tourists sank off the Antarctic coast. No one was killed, but more than 600,000 litres of petroleum spilled killing hundreds of birds and other wildlife.
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