Conservationists prepare to prevent signing of Antarctic convention

Press, 14 September 1988, Page 7

Conservationists prepare to prevent signing of Antarctic convention

By

OLIVER RIDDELL

in Wellington The conservation movement is gearing up for a world-wide campaign to prevent the signing and ratification of the Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities. This convention was agreed to after a monthlong meeting in Wellington during May of the Antarctic Treaty parties. That meeting agreed that the convention would be opened for signature at Wellington on November 25, 1988. Once the parties have signed it, the convention must then go through a

process of ratification by the legislature of each signatory — which is expected to take several years. At the time of the May agreement, Greenpeace said it had not given up the fight to prevent minerals activity in the Antarctic. Greenpeace’s Antarctic co-ordinator, Ms Lena Hagelin, of Sweden, said a world-wide campaign would be mounted to make it politically unacceptable in as many countries as possible to sign and ratify. It has been joined in this programme by the New Zealand conservation organisation most directly

concerned — the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition. The coalition has obtained copies of the final report of the May meeting. Copies of the convention document were available immediately after the May meeting. Mr Chris Hern, speaking for the coalition, said' the conservation movement was still adamant that Antarctica should be declared a World Nature Park. As well as continuing to object to minerals activities in Antarctica, he said Greenpeace and the coalition would continue to lobby for park status.