News in this edition:

26-01. Over 19,000 Passengers Experience Antarctica With NGA In 1999-2000.
26-02. U.S. Passengers Increase Dominance Of Ship-Based Tourism.
26-03. Two Danes Planning Trek to Pole.
26-04. Agreement On Albatross-Petrel Conservation Measures Sought.
26-05. New Books Detail All-Women Treks To Pole.
26-06. Coming Events Relevant to Non-Government Activities.

IN READING PLEASE NOTE: This newsletter is being produced in the interest of improved information sharing in the Antarctic community. Inclusion of information in it should not be taken to imply endorsement, by the publishers of ANAN News, of any company, program or associated activity that is listed, nor that the activity has necessarily completed all environmental impact assessments required under the legislation of the 'home' nation.

Just over 19,300 passengers and several thousand staff and crew are believed to have experienced Antarctica as part of non-governmental activity (NGA) conducted in the 1999-2000 austral summer according to data collated from a number of sources in recent weeks. Visits to the region continue to be primarily by sea, however air based visitors, particularly those involved in overflights, contributed significantly to what was the busiest, most complex, season on record in the non-governmental sector (ANAN -17/01, 15 March 2000).

Of the 19,300, three-quarters or 14,591 people are believed to have travelled to Antarctica by sea, the remaining quarter, or 4,771, doing so by air. Just over 5,000 passengers, or 28 per cent of the total, did not land on the continent or nearby off-shore islands however, viewing parts of the region from either overflights conducted by jet passenger aircraft, or from the cruise ship 'Rotterdam' which did not place passengers ashore during its brief two-day visit (ANAN-19/02, 12 April 2000).

Close to 13,900, or 72 per cent of total visitors, are estimated to have actually set foot somewhere in the region, up by almost 40 per cent on the previous season. All but around 300 of that number went ashore in the vicinity of the Antarctic Peninsula or nearby off-shore islands. Because of its closeness to South America that region will continue to receive by far the bulk of Antarctic non-government visits, providing an economic boost to some ports in the region (ANAN-25/02, 5 July 2000), and causing concerns about the potential long-term effect of such visits to the area (ANAN-24/02, 21 June 2000).

Almost half, or 48 per cent of the 19,000 passengers, travelled to Antarctica with small to medium sized yacht and ship-based operations conducted by companies affiliated with the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO), and 28 percent on the four large 400 plus passenger vessels which operated last season (see ANAN-26/02 following). Companies which operate the latter vessels are currently excluded from being members of IAATO (ANAN-1/4, 4 August 1999), however they have indicated that they will work to abide by all other aspects of the industry association's requirements. A call was made last month for IAATO to be more inclusive in its membership (ANAN-25/01, 5 July 2000).

Yacht-based visitors are thought to have accounted for just over one per cent of visitors. At least twenty yachts and other sailing vessels (ANAN-14/05, 2 February 2000) are believed to have been involved, slightly less than in the last few seasons, although obtaining data on these craft and their activities is often far from straight forward.

Air operations continue to be dominated by overflight visits, with those from Australia to East Antarctic coastal regions accounting for 16 per cent of overall passenger numbers (ANAN-24/03, 21 June 2000), while Antarctic Peninsula overflights from Punta Arenas, Chile, are put at around five per cent. Obtaining reliable data for the latter operations has proved difficult to date however.

People who flew to the continent and actually landed there to conduct private expedition activities accounted for 1.4 per cent of overall visitor numbers. Commercial air operator Adventure Network International accounted for the bulk of participants in this sector (ANAN-19/06, 12 April 2000), with 139 passengers being flown south, up almost 50 per cent on the previous summer but less than its record 1995-96 season. Flights by the small Chilean regional air line La linea aerea de la Patagonia (DAP) from Punta Arenas to King George Island in the South Shetlands (ANAN-17/03, 15 March 2000), and activities conducted by the once-only Russia-based Millennium expedition (ANAN-17/06, 15 March 2000) and a private flight (ANAN-14/07, 2 February 2000) also boosted air-based visitor numbers.

Only a small proportion of the 19,300 people listed as passengers in 1999-2000 would have taken part as guests of the companies involved. These include media, business acquaintences, family, friends and some national program personnel.

While a number of factors contributed to making the 1999-2000 season the biggest on record, early indicators available for the coming 2000-01 season suggest clearly however that in terms of numbers it is unlikely to be bettered for several years (ANAN-25/02, 5 July 2000).

The bulk of the data on NGE activity was released by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) at its year 2000 meeting in Hobart, Australia, late last month, the remaining information coming from other areas of the industry. Data collected by IAATO member companies is collated by the U.S. National Science Foundation (ANAN-23/02, 7 June 2000). Other data was obtained from a variety of other sources in Australia and South America. While it is difficult to be absolutely precise about numbers, the broad trends indicated in this article are believed to be an accurate reflection of overall activity conducted during the 1999-2000 season

[ANAN-26/01]

U.S. citizens increased their dominance of the ship-based tourism scene during the 1999-2000 season and for the first time accounted for over half of all participants according to data released by the International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) at its year 2000 meeting late last month (ANAN-24/01, 21 June 2000). Total ship-borne numbers last season are put at 14,591 by IAATO, a record for an Antarctic season, however the figure is unlikely to be bettered for several years until large tour vessels again return to the area (ANAN-25/02, 5 July 2000).

IAATO's data, which is collated by the U.S. National Science Foundation, indicates that some 7,735 Americans journeyed south by tour ships, half of them doing so on one of the four 'big ships' which operated last season, 'Marco Polo' (ANAN-13/02, 19 January 2000), 'Rotterdam' (ANAN-19/03, 12 April 2000), 'Ocean Explorer I' and Aegean I' (ANAN-17/07, 15 March 2000).

After the United States' 53 per cent share, German, U.K. and Australian citizens between them accounted for the next 25 per cent of ship passengers, each having 8-9 per cent of the total with 1,316, 1,291 and 1,124 people respectively. Over the past three southern summers the U.S., Germany, the U.K. and Australia have consistently accounted for almost three quarters of all ship-based tourists reported by IAATO. German and Australian numbers were each up 50 per cent in 1999-2000 on the previous season, and those for the U.S. nearly 60 per cent.

The final 22 per cent of ship-based tourists in 1999-2000 was made up of Canadians with 5 per cent (675 people), Japanese 3 per cent (435), the Swiss with 2 per cent (312) and the Dutch 1 per cent (170). Six nations each had just under 1 per cent of the total with New Zealand (112), South Africa and Sweden (111 each), Belgium (110) and Austria (107). The last 5-6 per cent were made up of people from almost 50 nations, the majority having less than 50 of their citizens involved.

Interestingly only 500 people from Asia, or less than 4 per cent of the overall total, took part in ship-based tourism in 1999-2000. Some operators are known to be interested in developing strategies to tap the potentially huge market in that region however.

Break downs by nationality are not available for those who participated in yacht operations, nor for either the land-based or overflights sectors of air operations (see ANAN-26/01 proceeding).

IAATO plans to make its data for the 1999-2000 available in the near future on its web site.

[ANAN-26/02]

Two Danish citizens, Gregers Gjersoe and Kristian Joos, are planning to undertake the 1,100 km overland trek from Hercules Inlet on the southern coast of the Ronne Ice Shelf to the South Geographic Pole (SGP) in November-December. Under the title 'Danish South Pole Expedition 2000' (DSPE), the pair plan to conduct the traverse unsupported and have allowed nine weeks for their journey with a start due around 1 November and arrival at the Pole anticipated in early January.

Gjersoe and Joos, who each expect to haul sledges weighing up to 120 Kg to the Pole, completed a 650 km, 42 day, crossing of Greenland in 1999 with Kalle Kronholm. They are also reported to have had considerable cold weather experience in Canada, Svalbard and high alpine areas, and recently undertook a training program in Norway.

Key support for the expedition program is expected to come from commercial air operator Adventure Network International (ANI). Expedition plans published on the DSPE web site suggest that ANI will fly the pair into Antarctica from Punta Arenas, Chile, deploy them near Hercules Inlet, provide search and rescue cover during their trek, and return them to Punta Arenas from the SGP via the air operator's Patriot Hills field camp in Ellsworth Land.

Up to 90 per cent of the costs required for small private expeditions like DSPE is associated with air support, and it is not clear at this stage whether the expedition has raised sufficient funds for the planned venture.

The route from Hercules Inlet to the SGP has been traversed by at least ten expeditions in the past twelve years, although not all have been able to complete the full journey. Those that have been successful have taken between seven and eight weeks and have conducted the trek in the November-January time period.

DSPE's web site is available in Danish only.

[ANAN-26/03]

An initial international meeting aimed at encouraging the development of conservation measures to protect Albatrosses and Petrels in the Southern Hemisphere held in Hobart, Australia, last week, is reported to have agreed on the principles and key elements involved and it is hoped that appropriate measures may be agreed to sometime in the next year. Concern has been widespread in recent years about the rates of decline in Albatross and Petrel species in the Southern Hemisphere, with habitat disturbance, marine pollution and fishing activities seen as the major contributors to the problem.

Data from many locations in the sub-Antarctic indicate that the breeding populations of Grey Headed, Yellow Nosed, Black Browed and Wandering Albatrosses, and White Chinned, Spectacled and Grey Petrels have decreased significantly in the last few decades. Some researchers estimate that up to 1,000 birds are being lost each week in the Southern Hemisphere as a result of long-line fishing practices alone, with little known about the contribution of the two other elements thought to be involved.

Twelve nations attended last week's meeting including Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Chile, Indonesia, Namibia, New Zealand, Peru, the Republic of Korea, South Africa, the United Kingdom and the United States. A number of international organisations also attended, they being BirdLife International, the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), the Convention on the Conservation of Migatory Species of Wild Animals, the Commission for the Conservation of Southern Bluefin Tuna (CCSBT), and the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

Currently there are both legally binding and non-binding international agreements in place which include some sea bird conservation measures, with CCAMLR, CCSBT and the FAO's International Plan of Action on Seabirds being seen by experts in the field as of particular note. While considered 'valuable' however, these types of agreements are generally limited in range, focus on managing fishing practices, and contain conservation measures of variable effectiveness. Moves towards a specific agreement on Albatrosses and Petrels is aimed at providing a comprehensive, coordinated approach to dealing with the issues involved.

The gathering agreed that it is important to maintain the momentum generated by the discussions held, and work is underway to organise a formal meeting to try and negotiate an agreement as soon as practicable.

[ANAN-26/04]

Two new books dealing with separate all-women overland treks from the edge of Antarctica to the South Geographic Pole (SGP) are being released over the next few weeks. The first is titled 'The South Pole 2000' and is by Caroline Hamilton leader of last season's U.K. based expedition of five, and the second by Nancy Loewen and Ann Bancroft is titled "Four to the Pole!: The American Women's Expedition to Antarctica, 1992-1993".

Hamilton and her four companions Pom Oliver, Rosie Stancer, Zoe Hudson and Ann Daniels, reached the SGP late last January after trekking 1,100 km overland from Hercules Inlet at the edge of the Ronne Ice Shelf (ANAN-12/03, 5 January 2000). All five had been members of a larger all-women's group which reached the North Geographic Pole in 1997. The expedition's story is to be published by Virgin Publishing of London, however the price of the 259 page book is unknown at this stage. Its ISBN Code is 1852278285.

Loewen and Bancroft's book is about the first all-women trek to the South Geographic Pole (SGP) almost ten years ago and is to be released by Shoe String Press in the U.S. in September. The 128 page publication details the efforts of Bancroft and her three companions, Sunniva Sorby, Sue Giller and Ann Dal Vera, in hauling their sledges 1,100 km from the Patriot Hills in Ellsworth Land to the SGP over a 67 day period. During the expedition Bancroft became the first women to walk to both the North and South Geographic Poles, however the group's original plan to cross the continent had to be abandoned at the Pole due to injuries suffered, poor weather, and funding difficulties. The new title is expected to sell for around $US25. Its ISBN Code is 0208025189.

Bancroft and Sorby and currently each seeking to achieve the first all-women crossing via separate two-person expeditions which are currently proposed for later this year (ANAN-22/03 and ANAN-22/02 of 24 May 2000 respectively).

The first women to travel overland to the SGP were Shirley Metz and Victoria Murden in the 1988-89 season. They were part of a large, commercially organised, venture, which was supported by aircraft and vehicles. They took 51 days to travel the 1,100 km from Hercules Inlet.

[ANAN-26/05]

YEAR 2000

11-15 September 2000 (The Hague, Netherlands)
Special Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting.
Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection.

4-6 October 2000 (Boulder, United States)
American Polar Society Bi-Annual Meeting.
Contact: mckie@cires.colarado.edu (Julie McKie)

1 November 2000 (Melbourne, Australia)
3 November 2000 (Hobart, Australia)
7 November 2000 (Adelaide, Australia)
14 November 2000 (Perth, Australia)
Presentations by Peter Treseder on his 1999-2000 cross-Antarctica attempt.
Contact: jodyh@yhansw.org.au (Jody Hoffman)

YEAR 2001

5 February 2001 (King George Island, Antarctica)
Fourth Antarctic Marathon and Half Marathon.
Contact: marathon@shore.net (Thom Gilligan)

July 2001 [Dates to be set] (Washington, D.C., United States).
IAATO year 2001 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).

YEAR 2002

February 2002 [Date to be set](King George Island, Antarctica)
Fifth Antarctic Marathon and Half Marathon.
Contact: marathon@shore.net (Thom Gilligan)

July 2002 [Dates/location to be set] (Europe).
IAATO year 2002 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).

YEAR 2003

July 2003 [Dates to be set] (Seattle, United States).
IAATO year 2003 annual meeting.
Contact: iaato@iaato.org (Denise Landau)(invitation required).

[ANAN-26/06]

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