Report From Antarctica: Countries Maneuver for Potential Future Land Grab

KING GEORGE ISLAND, Antarctica — More than 30 years before the moratorium on mining in Antarctica is set to expire, countries are quietly positioning themselves for a potential land grab. The 1961 Antarctic Treaty stipulates that the continent should be owned by none and open to all for scientific purposes and other peaceful pursuits. The Protocol on Environmental Protection — added to the books in 1991 — banned all mineral exploitation for 50 years. Forty-seven nations have signed on to the Antarctic Treaty, and it is often regarded as one of the more effective works of international law. But subtle maneuverings for territory and economic stakes predate any cooperative framework. The United Kingdom claimed a slice of the continent in 1908, and New Zealand, France, Australia, Norway, Chile and Argentina followed suit in the ‘20s, ‘30s, and ‘40s. Chile and Argentina remain most vociferous about their overlapping claims. In both countries, it is illegal to display a map not showing the nation’s claimed Antarctic territory. There is certainly an impressive amount of great science being done in Antarctica, but many of the bases on the island are more settlements than research stations. And through the quiet development of civil life on the island, battle lines for the future are already being drawn.

Source: http://blog.wired.com/wiredscience/2009/04/antarcticland.html