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Tilburg ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ, Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ and Wageningen ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ & Research will conduct research on proactive management of Antarctic tourism. The Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) will fund the project with 1,3 million euros.

From Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ law of the sea researcher Erik Molenaar is involved as co-applicant in the project. He is affiliated with the Netherlands Institute for the Law of the Sea (NILOS), part of the Utrecht Centre for Water, Oceans and Sustainability Law.

Number of visitors to Antarctica is increasing 

Antarctic tourism has significantly increased – both in visitor numbers and types of activities -and further increases are projected. Many of the 29 countries that jointly manage Antarctica are concerned that the 1991 Environmental Protocol and other regulations provide insufficient protection for nature, safety and science. 

This research project supports the Netherlands in proactive management of tourism within the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) on four themes: 

1. maximizing visitor numbers by a cap-and-trade system; 
2. constraining diversification of activities by pre-assessment procedures; 
3. improving domestic implementation of ATS tourism regulations; and 
4. enhancing the role of non-use and non-user States.

Help to decrease climate change consequences

The project was jointly developed by Tilburg ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ, Utrecht ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ and Wageningen ľ¹Ï¸£ÀûÓ°ÊÓ & Research in the framework of the Netherlands Polar Programme of the NWO. Through the programme, the Netherlands contributes to finding solutions for fundamental scientific and policy issues, such as the consequences of climate change.

Conducting scientific research on Antarctica is also an obligation for the Netherlands based on its participation in the Antarctic Treaty.

More information can be found on the Proact project website and .