ASMA for the McMurdo Dry Valleys Workshop.

Ohio State University Research Foundation -Do Not Use, Columbus OH

Investigators

Abstract

Lyons OPP 0119207 Abstract The McMurdo Dry Valleys in southern Victoria Land, Antarctica, are the most expansive tracts of ice free land on the Antarctic continent. Since March, 1995, two workshops have been supported by the National Science Foundation to address environmental concerns in the Dry Valleys and to begin to formulate a management plan for the area. Increasing scientific activity as well as the potential for increased tourism have been the motivation for developing a more systematic approach to protection and management of activities in the Dry Valleys. The first workshop produced a Code of Conduct that was recommended for use in planning and implementing activities in the Dry Valleys. The workshop participants also recommended that a management plan be developed and that the plan be both interdisciplinary and international in nature. The second workshop dealt primarily with environmental impacts on the lakes in the Dry Valleys. The participants strongly recommended that the McMurdo Dry Valleys should be designated as an Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA). This proposal is for a workshop that brings together a small group of individuals, representing the various scientific and international interests in the area, to develop a draft ASMA plan that could then be vetted through appropriate channels for consideration within the Antarctic Treaty System.