Introduction
Antarctica and the Southern Ocean represent 20 percent of the planet’s surface. The continent itself is a frozen desert that receives little precipitation, most of which falls as snow. However, this austere appearance belies this area’s importance as an ecosystem and its role in global biodiversity and in maintaining and regulating globally important ecosystem services. Antarctica is the only continent with no human-induced extinctions, and demands ongoing attention to maintain its value as a natural reserve devoted to peace, science and high standards of environmental protection.
The Antarctic and Southern Ocean Strategy, Policy and Programme (hereinafter the Strategy) has been developed as a result of the IUCN Council decision C109/28 establishing a Taskforce on Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. It defines the potential areas for intervention by IUCN in favour of Antarctic and Southern Ocean biodiversity. The Strategy will suggest how such interventions will make use of IUCN’s network and other strengths, and suggests how component programmes2 will organise and coordinate their efforts to optimise the Union’s impact in the region, particularly through policy interventions and advocacy. It aims to ensure that such efforts further conservation in these regions while contributing to the delivery of the IUCN Programme of work into the future. It also aims to bring the world closer to meeting the global targets under the Sustainable Development Goals Agenda, the Paris Agreement, and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
The activities envisaged under the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Strategy are intended to:
- draw on the scientific, legal and technical expertise of IUCN’s Secretariat and Commissions to ensure that the best available scientific and technical knowledge is translated into actionable advice for the conservation of biodiversity in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean regions;
- provide significant contributions to the IUCN Programme of work;
- provide a means to deliver on the mandate conveyed by the more than 20 IUCN Congress and General Assembly Resolutions and Recommendations adopted over the years in relation to Antarctica and the Southern Ocean;4
- respond to the needs expressed by Members and partners with an interest or concern in the region;
- ensure that the lessons learned in work undertaken in the Antarctic are available to other regions;
- compile the evidence in support of the application of a precautionary approach and the implementation of an ecosystem-based approach to fisheries management;
- complement and bring added value to activities being pursued by IUCN Members and partners with an interest in or a conservation concern for the region.
The Strategy will enhance IUCN’s capacity to influence, encourage and assist countries, institutions and the private sector to conserve the integrity and diversity of Antarctic and Southern Ocean ecosystems. It is also intended to help ensure that intrinsic values (including wilderness), ecological integrity, and scientific values are given proper consideration. Further, it is intended to help ensure that in those cases where use of natural resources is appropriate, it is done in an equitable and ecologically sustainable way, based on sound science and with full consideration of the precautionary principle.
