Antarctica and the Southern Ocean
Emperor penguin group, Antarctica
© WWF-Canon/Fritz PÖLKING
The Southern Polar Region - one of the world's most spectacular and ecologically important environments - is home to thousands of species that live nowhere else. Until recently, the region's inhospitable climate protected it from the worst excesses of human exploitation. But the last few decades have seen all that change.
Four key threats
Illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) Fishing
Illegal, unregulated and unreported (IUU) fishing in the Southern Ocean is responsible for pushing fish stocks to the brink of collapse - leaving seabirds and mammals without enough food to survive.
The method used to catch fish is also causing terrible damage. It is common for vessels to drag miles of hooked lines behind their boats. Albatross and other seabirds swoop down to feed on the bait, become hooked through their bills and drowned.
Invasive species
Many Antarctic species have evolved in isolation from the rest of the world. Consequently, they have developed no mechanisms to defend themselves from the invasive species carried onboard fishing vessels.
Rats are a particular danger, and large numbers have escaped into seabird breeding colonies throughout the region. Feeding on both chicks and eggs, they are devastating populations of albatross, petrel and other threatened species.
Marine pollution
The Southern Ocean has become a dumping ground for rubbish. The amount of debris in the Southern Ocean increased 100 fold during the 1990s.
Discarded plastic, fishing nets and hooks are causing the slow and painful death of thousands of mammals and birds each year.
Small whales, seals and many other species are ingesting, choking or becoming ensnared on this rubbish - contributing to a decline in their numbers.
Climate Change
Climate change is the greatest long term threat to the region. With the ice-shelf melting and glaciers shrinking, there can no longer be any doubt that the Antarctic is getting warmer.
If the climate continues to hot up, scientists predict that krill populations could be devastated - undermining the entire Southern Polar food chain.
Vision for a thriving Antarctica and Southern Ocean
As a close neighbour of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean, we have a particular responsibility to look after this precious place, to protect it from those who exploit it and force the world to take notice of the potential catastrophic event unfolding in the atmosphere high above.
Our vision for Antarctica and the Southern Ocean:
- The seas, islands and coasts of Antarctica and the Southern Ocean are understood, valued and wisely used;
- A region that is home to recovering populations of great whales, albatross, seals and penguins that characterise these southern lands and waters;
- Healthy and productive seas that underpin the great Antarctic web of life;
- Nations cooperating with a common purpose to manage sustainable fisheries, shipping, and tourism that co-exist with plentiful wildlife and a healthy sea.
