Belgium has a long history with Antarctica. Commander Adrien de Gerlache set sail to Antarctica with the Belgica in 1897 for what became the first recorded wintering in the Antarctic. On board was a multinational crew, amongst whom the explorer-to-become Roald Amundsen and the later-to-become infamous dr Frederick Cook were the most renowned. Moreover, the winter expedition gave rise to the first detailed observational measurements in meteorology and biology, thanks to the scientific efforts by Antoni Dobrowolski, Henryk Arctowksi and Emil Racovita. Many Belgian place names in the Antarctic Peninsula witness of this heroic effort.
During the IGY in 1957, it was de Gaston de Gerlache who followed in his father’s footsteps to respond amongst several other countries to the call to establish a research station in Antarctica. He constructed the Roi Baudouin Station on an ice shelf in Dronning Maud Land, Antarctica. The station itself remained operational until 1967; the last expeditions being a joint Belgian-Dutch endeavour. Due to this long-term involvement in Antarctica, Belgium signed the Antarctic Treaty in 1959 and was amongst the 12 countries that initiated the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research in 1958. In 1982 the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) was established with the objective of conserving Antarctic marine life. Again Belgium was among the original signatories.