World Park Base
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

World Park Base was a non-governmental year-round Antarctic base located at Cape Evans on Ross Island in the
Ross Dependency The Ross Dependency is a region of Antarctica defined by a circular sector, sector originating at the South Pole, passing along longitudes 160th meridian east, 160° east to 150th meridian west, 150° west, and terminating at latitude 60th para ...
. It was the only non-government Antarctic base. The international environmental organization
Greenpeace Greenpeace is an independent global campaigning network, founded in Canada in 1971 by a group of Environmental movement, environmental activists. Greenpeace states its goal is to "ensure the ability of the Earth to nurture life in all its biod ...
established World Park Base in 1987 to give Greenpeace the right to attend Antarctic Treaty meetings, to seek allies for its aim to amend the treaty to block mineral extraction and to declare the continent as a World Park. A treaty, the Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities, had been under consideration to enable mining but failed to receive the required support by 25 November 1989. Greenpeace and others wanted to make the entire continent off-limits to commercial exploitation and pollution, and permit only limited scientific research. Greenpeace closed the base down in 1991 and completely dismantled the base in 1992. Ultimately the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was agreed in 1991 and came into force in 1998, ratified by all the Antarctic Treaty consultative parties, designating Antarctica as a "natural reserve, devoted to peace and science". The official attitude amongst the Antarctic Treaty nations was that World Park Base was to be ignored and that no assistance be given to it, although
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, which claims jurisdiction over
Ross Dependency The Ross Dependency is a region of Antarctica defined by a circular sector, sector originating at the South Pole, passing along longitudes 160th meridian east, 160° east to 150th meridian west, 150° west, and terminating at latitude 60th para ...
(though all territorial claims are in abeyance under the Antarctic Treaty), would have assisted if a life-threatening situation arose.


See also

* List of inactive Antarctic research stations * List of Antarctic field camps * Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition * Cousteau Society


References


External links


Greenpeace World Park Base 1987-91



Creating the World Park Antarctica

World Park Antarctica
Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition {{Greenpeace Greenpeace Outposts of Antarctica Ross Island Outposts of the Ross Dependency 1987 establishments in Antarctica 1992 disestablishments in Antarctica