Title: India’s Plan to Develop a New Research Station in Antarctica and Regulation of Tourism
India is set to announce its plan to construct a new research station in Antarctica during the 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and the 26th Meeting of the Committee for Environment Protection in Kochi later this month. The new station, Maitri-2, will replace the existing Maitri station, which has been in operation for about 35 years and will be converted into a summer camp and designated as a monument once the new station is built.
M. Ravichandran, Secretary of the Ministry of Earth Sciences, stated that the current Maitri station is outdated and in need of reconstruction. India has two active research stations in Antarctica, Maitri and Bharti, with the latter being a state-of-the-art facility.
In addition to India’s plan to develop a new research station, the ATCM will also discuss the regulation of tourism in Antarctica. The Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) governs the icy continent, which is the Earth’s only continent without an indigenous population. The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) reported 32,730 cruise-only visitors, 71,346 landed visitors, and 821 deep-field visitors for the 2022-23 season. However, the lack of proper regulation of tourism in Antarctica is a significant concern. The last major decision on tourism was a measure passed in 2009 that prohibited cruise ships carrying more than 500 passengers from making landings in Antarctica.
Key items on the ATCM agenda include strategic planning for sustainable management of Antarctica and its resources, policy, legal, and institutional operations, biodiversity prospecting, inspections and exchange of information and data, research, collaboration, capacity building and cooperation, addressing climate change impacts, development of tourism framework, and promoting awareness.
India has proposed the name of senior diplomat and former Deputy National Security Advisor Pankaj Saran as the Chair of the 46th ATCM. Over 350 delegates from more than 60 countries are expected to attend the ATCM and CEP meetings this year, hosted by the National Centre for Polar and Oceanic Research (NCPOR) at Lulu Bolgatty International Convention Centre (LBICC) in Kochi.
This year’s ATCM and CEP meetings will focus on the sustainable management of Antarctica and its resources, addressing climate change impacts, and promoting awareness. The regulation of tourism and India’s plan to develop a new research station are significant agenda items that require the attention of the international community. Proper regulation of tourism is crucial to preserving Antarctica’s unique environment, and India’s new research station will contribute to the global scientific understanding of the icy continent.
