Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 30
30
Deferred
Strengthen UK Antarctic Strategy to prioritise ASPAs, emperor penguins, and plastic pollution mitigation.
Recommendation
This should be reflected in the UK Antarctic Strategy with particular regard to: • Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs): The Government should continue to advocate for a representative and well-connected network of ASPAs, underpinned by the latest ecological and climate science, and should support efforts to streamline and strengthen the ASPA designation process and ensure that critical and vulnerable habitats are prioritised. • Emperor Penguins: The Government should support enhanced scientific collaboration and interdisciplinary research to improve understanding and modelling of emperor penguin populations, with a focus on the impacts of climate change and sea ice loss. The Government should push for consensus to designate the species as requiring special protection under the Environmental Protocol. • The Government should lead efforts to assess and mitigate plastic pollution in the British Antarctic Territory. This includes advocating at the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting for stricter waste management regulations and encouraging the use of biodegradable materials. (Recommendation, Paragraph 147) 99 Natural resources in the Antarctic
Government Response Summary
The Government intends to publish an Antarctic strategy before the end of the year and will take the Committee’s report and recommendations into consideration when producing the strategy.
Government Response
Deferred
HM Government
Deferred
The Government intends to publish an Antarctic strategy before the end of the year. The Committee’s useful report and recommendations will be taken into consideration when producing the strategy.