Objectives

The overarching objective of the program is to generate knowledge about (risks of) cumulative impacts of tourism visitation on Antarctic biodiversity and wilderness values, also taking into account effects of predicted climate change, and to support policy makers and the tourism sector in the development of strategies and regulatory tools to prevent or minimise such cumulative impacts. This objective is translated into the more specific purposes to:

1. Develop a forecast of Antarctic tourism developments with a focus on growth and spatial distribution
2. Identify indicators for Antarctic terrestrial biodiversity and wilderness values and mapping the geographical distribution of these values, with a differentiation between current state and expectations with changing climate and human activity;
3. Develop an Inventory of (risks of) cumulative impacts of tourism visitation by comparing the tourism forecast (ad i) and the spatial distribution of biodiversity and wilderness values (ad ii);
4. Develop a monitoring framework for indicators of changes in biodiversity and wilderness values
5. Identify various response strategies to minimise future cumulative impacts on biodiversity and wilderness values, with an emphasis on spatial strategies (e.g., closure of areas, regional or site-specific caps, etc.), assess in light of the outcomes of WP1, WP2 and WP3 which strategies may be most effective to prevent or minimise such cumulative impacts and identify and further develop legal tools to implement the most promising strategies;
6. Formulate recommendations for the Netherlands, the CEP, the ATCM and/or IAATO regarding spatial regulation of tourism and prioritisation of appropriate monitoring in Antarctica.