Wilderness Values in Antarctica

We invite you to share your thoughts and priorities on wilderness values of Antarctica

This research is part of a project called ANT-MICI, an acronym that stands for Antarctic Tourism: Developing Knowledge and Tools to Minimise Cumulative Impacts on Biodiversity and Wilderness Values in Antarctica. The project focuses on understanding and mitigating impacts on the Antarctic environment, particularly the effects of increased visitation on biodiversity and wilderness areas. The partners at North Carolina State University (US) are specifically looking at wilderness values.

Who is a stakeholder? Anyone working, researching, visiting, or living in gateway communities for Antarctica. That includes industry, tourism, logistics, scientists and researchers, expedition leaders and guides, tourists, and anyone with a connection to Antarctica. The more diverse perspectives, the better! 

Why wilderness values? The Antarctic Treaty and its protocol call for the protection of wilderness values, but it has not been well defined or described in the Treaty or meeting documents which guide effective monitoring and protection. The term wilderness is also a contested term, with many meanings and interpretations across cultures and among researchers and practitioners. 

Why a workshop? Outcomes from this workshop, in combination with a comprehensive literature review and geospatial analysis, will help identify themes, indicators, and metrics used to define, measure and map wilderness values in Antarctica. In parallel, indicators for biodiversity are also being examined and will be layered with wilderness values to better understand where they overlap and where negative impacts may be cumulative.