Antarctic Treaty legislation

CCAMLR, the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, is part of the Antarctic Treaty legislation and came into force in 1982. CCAMLR is responsible for the acquisition, compilation, analysis and dissemination of data on all harvested species within the area governed by the Antarctic Treaty. Because the CCAMLR data centre was set up in response to a major piece of international legislation, data collection is thorough and all Treaty Member States contribute to data submission. The data are, therefore, extensive and accurate, and submission forms are used to ensure completeness and comparability. Although the data are not publicly available, the CCAMLR data centre does respond positively to requests for data from individual scientists and protocols exist for the release of data (CCAMLR, 2006). 

At the beginning of the Italian Antarctic activities no environmental impact assessment of the station was available. Neither the Italian legislation at the time, nor the Antarctic Treaty required it. Several environmental assessments were prepared instead for other less important activities, such as the installation of a seismographic station. Recently an environmental overview of the base was prepared and tabled at the XXI ATCM. 

Italian general legislation on EIA is modelled on EC Directive 85/337. The application of PEPAT as lex specialis, instead of any other general and incompatible rule, is beyond any discussion. PEPAT aims at enhancing the protection of the very particular Antarctic ecosystem. Its provisions on EIA apply to human activities which prevalently take place in the Antarctic Treaty area and can produce adverse impacts on the Antarctic environment and its dependent and associated ecosystems. 

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