03 June 2015
Antarctic Environments Portal links scientists and decision-makers
A major new initiative to bridge the gap between scientists and decision makers has been launched during the annual
Antarctic Treaty Consultative meeting, ATCM XXXVIII - CEP XVIII, in Bulgaria.
The Antarctic Environments Portal (www.environments.aq) provides an innovative link between Antarctic scientific
research and the governance and management work of the Antarctic Treaty System, in particular through the Committee for
Environmental Protection (CEP).
“We know Antarctica is changing as the planet warms, but it is the pace of change which concerns both scientists and
policy-makers around the world today,” says Antarctica New Zealand’s Environmental Consultant, Dr Neil Gilbert.
“There has never been a more important time for policy decisions on the future of Antarctica to be informed by the best
science available on the state of Antarctic environments. The Portal summarises this wealth of science knowledge and
puts it at the fingertips of Antarctic policy makers.
“The content of the Portal is prepared by the science community, but written in a style that allows easy access to
relevant information by policy makers. Having the information readily available in the Portal will also improve the
speed in which information becomes available to policy makers.”
The project has been a three-year collaboration between Antarctica New Zealand and Landcare Research with partners from
Australia, Belgium, Norway and the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research (SCAR). The Portal also plays an important
role in facilitating SCAR’s long-standing mission to provide independent, sound, scientifically-based advice to the
Antarctic Treaty Parties.
As well as articles on key issues of policy relevance, the Portal includes an interactive mapping interface that allows
users to explore a range of geospatial features including the location of protected areas across the continent.
The Portal is based on peer-reviewed science and existing CEP materials and includes summaries of the state of knowledge
on CEP priority issues, the management of those issues and environmental pressures.
“Antarctica New Zealand is proud to have played a leading role in developing this Portal. A genuine need has been met to
better inform decision makers with greater immediacy about research which may have far reaching impacts,” says
Antarctica New Zealand Chief Executive, Peter Beggs.
Contributions to the Portal will have an impact on policy development and will support the informed management and
governance of the Antarctic.
Landcare Research scientist Dr Fraser Morgan, who led the development of the Portal, said the online resource would
bring the Antarctic policy and science community closer together by making information more readily and easily
accessible to everyone.
“There was a need for a more technical solution to provide detailed, up-to-date science information to policy makers who
make decisions about the future of Antarctica. We bought together our Antarctic research expertise and our leadership in
developing science-based information systems to deliver a tailored science communication platform. The Portal will
provide a much easier and direct route to key information for policy makers” Dr Morgan said.
He believed the Portal would also benefit the science community.
“Scientists, like myself, see this as a conduit to get their science into the hands of policy makers quickly so it can
be used. This makes it a win, win for both groups” he said.
“Until now there has not been a centralised resource that allows the Antarctic Treaty countries to have continuous, easy
access to information on the current state of knowledge on Antarctic environments. The Portal will provide that for the
first time.”
The Portal is now live and a series of new articles on climate change, pollution, and non-native species will be
published over the coming months.
ENDS