Project

Proactive Management of Antarctic Tourism (ProAct)

Proactive Management of Antarctic Tourism The project 'Proactive Management of Antarctic Tourism: Exploring the Role of ATS Principles and Values and Best Practices Beyond the ATS' (ProAct) is a joint project between Tilburg University, Utrecht University and Wageningen University & Research.

About Proact

Funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), the project commenced on 1 March 2021 and will run for a period of 5 years. Tourism in the Antarctic Antarctic tourism has significantly increased – both in visitor numbers and types of activities – and further increases are projected. Many States and other stakeholders are concerned that the 1991 Environmental Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty and other regulations adopted at Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings (ATCMs) provide insufficient protection for human safety, scientific research and the Antarctic environment.

Four research themes

The ProAct project aims to support the Netherlands and, possibly, the ATCM in proactive management of tourism within the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) on four themes:

1.Managing the growth of Antarctic tourism

2.Constraining diversification of activities by pre-assessment procedures

3.Improving domestic implementation of ATS tourism regulations

4.Enhancing the role of non-use and non-user States