Documents

Code of Conduct for Activity within Terrestrial Geothermal Environments in Antarctica 

ATCM XXXIX and CEP XIX 2016, Santiago, Chile

Attachment 18 to Working Paper 23

Summary:

This SCAR Code of Conduct provides guidance when planning or undertaking field activities within terrestrial geothermal environments. It was prepared following discussions held at the August 2014 Auckland Workshop which focused on the need to develop guidelines for working in terrestrial geothermal areas in Antarctica (see ATCM XXXVIII (2015) IP024 and ATCM XXXVIII (2015) WP035) and has been finalised through broad consultation, including with the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP). The SCAR Environmental Code of Conduct for Terrestrial Scientific Research in Antarctica (2009) continues to provide guidance on practical measures to minimize impacts by scientists undertaking fieldwork in terrestrial environments, generally applicable across all of Antarctica. This Code of Conduct for activities within terrestrial geothermal environments was developed in recognition of a specific need for guidelines for operations and scientific activities beyond those generally applicable guidelines, since terrestrial geothermal environments in Antarctica represent a unique case where more specific and customized guidance is needed because safeguarding the values of these sites requires measures that extend beyond those required in most areas in which activities are undertaken. The Code of Conduct will be updated and refined as new scientific results and environmental impact reports become available from future research in terrestrial geothermal environments.

Code of Conduct for the Exploration and Research of Subglacial Aquatic Environments

ATCM XL and CEP XX 2017, Beijing, China

Information Paper 33 (ATCM XXXIV and CEP XIV 2011, Buenos Aires, Argentina) and Working Paper 17 (ATCM XL and CEP XX, Beijing, China).

Summary:

This Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Code of Conduct (CoC) provides guidance to the scientific community with interests in exploring and conducting research on and in Antarctic subglacial aquatic environments (SAE). The CoC was original prepared by a SCAR Action Group in consultation with SAE specialists from a wide range of disciplines including the Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP). It was developed in recognition of the value of these environments, the need to exercise environmental stewardship, and the growing scientific interest in subglacial research. The CoC draws on published literature with special attention paid to SCAR Subglacial Antarctic Lake Environments (SALE) Scientific Research Program reports and the U.S. National Academies report on environmental stewardship of SAE. The U.S. National Academies report on environmental stewardship of SAE was presented by the U.S. at ATCM XXXI/CEP XI as IP110. This CoC was submitted as an Information Paper (IP33) by SCAR to CEP XIV in 2011. SCAR coordinated a review of this CoC in 2017 through experts and the broader SCAR community, and the revised version was submitted to CEP XX. It will continue to be updated and refined as new scientific results and environmental impact reports become available from planned SAE exploration campaigns.

Code of Conduct for the use of Animals for Scientific Purposes in Antarctica (June 2019)

ATCM XLII and CEP XXII 2019, Prague, Czech Republic

Information Paper 53 (ATCM XXXIV and CEP XIV 2011, Buenos Aires, Argentina) and Information Paper 17 (ATCM XLII and CEP XXII 2019, Prague, Czech Republic)

Summary:

The Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Code of Conduct (CoC) provides guiding principles to the scientific community for research involving animals. Moreover, this CoC provides the ethical framework and details the responsibilities of Antarctic investigators, institutions, and the animal ethics committees overseeing the research, and outlines individual and institutional accountability. This Code of Conduct should be read in concert with Annex II of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty, which provides guidance on the killing, capturing and handling (“taking”) of native fauna and aims to provide guidance on the interpretation of Article 3 paragraph 6 of this Annex. Additional, taxon-specific guidelines also exist.

SCAR Environmental Code of Conduct for Geosciences Field Research Activities in Antarctica

ATCM XLIII and CEP XXIII 2021, Paris, France

Attachment to  Working Paper 33 (ATCM XLIII and CEP XXIII 2021)

Background:

This SCAR Environmental Code of Conduct for Geosciences Field Research Activities in Antarctica was developed in recognition of a specific need for guidelines for scientific activities beyond those generally applicable guidelines, since geological field researchers may operate under unique conditions and circumstances where more specific and customized guidance may be needed to safeguard the values of geological sites.

SCAR Environmental Code of Conduct for Terrestrial Scientific Field Research in Antarctica

Revised and adopted by Resolution 5 – 18 May 2018

ATCM XLI 2018 and CEP XXI, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Annex to Resolution 5

Summary:

This Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR) Code of Conduct (CoC) provides guidance for scientists undertaking terrestrial scientific field research in Antarctica. Reference was made to the need for this CoC during CEP IX (CEP IX Final Report; para. 132). A CoC was approved by the XXX SCAR Delegates Meeting in Moscow July 2008. SCAR presented the CoC to the CEP XII (2009) as IP 4. A further review of the CoC was coordinated by SCAR in 2017, through experts and the broader SCAR community, and the revised version submitted for consideration at CEP XX (WP 18). Further consultation was carried out in the 2017/18 intersessional period, including with COMNAP.

This CoC has its origins in the 2006 CEP discussions on avoiding the introduction of propagules1 of non- native species. Since those discussions, the CoC has been broadened to provide guidance to design and conduct terrestrial scientific field research in a way that minimises environmental impacts, including, but not limited to, the transfer of non-native species.

Recommendation SCAR XXIV-3 Concerning the Re-introduction of Indigenous Species

August 1996