Desarrollo de la Antártica

EL DESARROLLO DE LA ANTÁRTICA by the Fridtjof Narsen ifoundation. In tihe fallowing year, tIle question of Antarctic mineral resouw::s was the subject of preliminary discussion by SCAR and the \VoJ1king Group of Geology was asked to assemble information. At the VIII consuItative meeting, t'he parties to the rrreaty called upon SCAR to: i. maJke an assessment on the 'basÍs af available information of the possÍ'ble impact on the environment of the Treaty Area and other ecosystems dependent on the Antarctic environment jf mineral exploration and/or exploitation were to occur there. If possible and appropriate, Governments r.1ay wish to a,ssist their íNlational Antarctic Committees in this undertaking by appropriate means; ii. continue to co-ordinate national geological and geÚlphysical research programmes in flhe Antarctic Treaty Area with the aim of obtaining fundamental sdentific data on the geological structure of t'he Antarctic; iii. consider what further scientific programmes are necessary in pursuit of the objectives. The SCAR executive asked the \Vovking Group on Geology to respond to the questions of the scÍentific programmes. Furthermore, the Executive of SCAR) in eonsultation with experts and National Committees, submitted a prelimínary environmental assessment statements to the Special Preparatory Meeting for the IX Consultative Meeting held in Paris in June 1975. This meeting welcomed the statement and asked SCAR to give further and more detailed advice. SCAR) in Mendoza in Oetober 1976, expressed Íts willingness to undertake and guide sueh further ;:¡ssessment as a task closely allied to tihe main objeetives of SCAR, although the degree of detail aehieved in this furlJher assessment would cleptnd on the financial support available. In mder 10 undertake this task XIV SCAR established a Group of Specialists on Enviwnmmtal Assessment of Mineral Resource Exploration and Exploitation in the Antaretic (EAMREA) and defined Íts terms of referenee. SCAR considered that the aetivities will fall into two stages a& fol- 10ws: First, Lhe ¡preparatían of the more detailed assessment requested on the basis of existing knowledge, and tibe formulation of a long term research pro¡gramme to fiU any serious gaps in knowledge. Second, the exeeution of this 10n 6 term researeh prograrnme. Dr. J. H. Zumberge aceepted to aet as eonvener of the group, whidh was appointed by the IExecutíve of SCAR at tJhe end of the