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Tread lightly on the (icy) earth A Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer has cautioned that with the growing number of tourists to Antarctica, tourism companies must remain vigilant in protecting its pristine environment.
While gaining valuable first-hand industry experience along the frozen Antarctic coast beneath South America, ecotourism academic at CSU, Dr Rosemary Black, cautions tourism companies visiting the frontier region to look after the very reason tourists are visiting the region.
 Dr Black, based in the University’s School of Environmental Sciences, was particularly interested in how Antarctic tourism is managed and the local impacts of tourists, as well as wanting to investigate ecotourism in a very different environment.
From December 2008 to February this year, Dr Black worked on the tourist ship Polar Pioneer as an assistant expedition leader for the Australian-based company, Aurora Expeditions. Her main roles were in public relations, communications and administration.
A growth industry
 “Tourism in Antarctica is on the increase. In 1992-93, only 7 000 tourists landed on Antarctica. This year companies are estimating an increase of over four times that to 30 000 visitors,” Dr Black said.
“Although I didn’t see any visible signs of tourism impact, it’s clear we need to monitor and manage tourism in this pristine environment.
“I was amazed by the sheer unspoiled beauty of the place, as well the incredible range of wildlife including penguins, seals, whales, dolphins and lots of seabirds including albatrosses. It would be a tragedy to see it spoiled.”
During Dr Black’s trip, the Polar Pioneer visited the Antarctic Peninsula near the southern tip of South America as well as the Falkland, South Georgia and South Orkney Islands.
“Sub-Antarctic islands like South Georgia are havens for wildlife, particularly various species of Albatross, King Penguin and Antarctic Fur Seals. We saw King Penguin colonies with 250 000 King Penguins - the noise and smell was incredible!”
 Unwavering ethics needed
Dr Black was impressed by the strong environmental ethos of the company, and that this was passed on to passengers.
“We briefed the passengers on how to behave correctly when interacting with wildlife and how to dispose of rubbish. They had to clean and disinfect their boots every time they left and returned to the ship – this reduced the possible spread of disease between wildlife colonies.
“We also vacuumed all the passengers’ day packs and outdoor clothing to ensure they didn’t carry seeds and plant material ashore. With global warming and increasing temperatures, the risks of new plants being introduced into the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic are greatly increased.”
Pressure is mounting
With two recent incidents of tourist ships running aground on the Antarctic coast, the spectre of possible oil spills in this delicate environment also becomes an issue, as well as the safety of passengers and the cost of rescue.
“There are now about 30 tourist ships working the coastline during the short Antarctica summer, so we need to carefully plan, manage and monitor the tourism there,” Dr Black said.
The ships’ movements and stops are scheduled through a voluntary organisation set up by the companies, the International Association of Antarctic Tours Operators, or IAATO.
“The impressive cooperation between tour companies embodied by IAATO means tour operators can give their passengers the best possible wilderness experience. Passengers don’t want to pass too many other ships in the isolated Southern Ocean or meet with other tour groups in the middle of an isolated penguin rookery – it defeats the purpose of their experience!”
Dr Black said with tourist numbers increasing, tourism needs to be sustainable, balancing the economic interests of the operators with the need to protect Antarctica’s environment.
 ends Author: Wes Ward Publication Date: 24 Mar 2009
Editor's Note: Dr Black said her experience was invaluable for her teaching in the fields of ecotourism, heritage interpretation and tour guiding with the CSU School of Environmental Sciences and research with the Institute for Land, Water and Society. Media Note: For interviews with Dr Rosemary Black and print quality photos of her Antarctic visit, contact CSU Media.
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