Post-Protocol Developments

The fourth International Polar Year (2007–08) brought renewed

attention to Earth’s polar regions and their role in the global system. It
led to new investments in research infrastructure and programs in
Antarctica and further expanded the scope of Antarctic scientific
programs, especially in terms of understanding global environmental
change. Unlike the previous polar years, it also included programs
within the social sciences, humanities, and medicine. Disciplines such
as literature studies, history, political science, archaeology, heritage
studies, and ethnology have had an established presence at SCAR
Open Science Conferences ever since.

Whereas the Madrid Protocol applies to terrestrial and coastal areas in

the Antarctic Treaty Area, it was under the auspices of CCAMLR that
24 nations and the EU negotiated another milestone in Antarctic
environmental protection—the proclamation of the Ross Sea region
marine protected area. Albeit much reduced from its original proposed
scope, the agreement, which was signed in October 2016 and entered
into force in December 2017, covers 600,000 square miles (1.55
million square km) of ocean, including the Ross Ice Shelf, the Balleny
Islands, and the ocean surrounding two seamounts.