Book review Open and penetrating analysis

AUSTRALIA’S ANTARCTIC POLICY OPTIONS

edited by Stuart Harris

Centre for Resource and Environmen- tal Studies, Australian National Uni- versity, Canberra, Australia, 1984,

412 PP

Antarctic politics are at a turning point. The multilateral arrangements under which the continent has been managed for the last 25 years are now under strain, due in part to the possi- bility of resource exploitation in the area. The 1959 Antarctic Treaty was not designed to oversee the drilling of oil and gas on the Antarctic continen- tal shelf nor the fishing of krill in the seas surrounding the continent. It was designed to facilitate the conduct of scientific research by the signatories (originally 12, now 16). Seven of these signatories have territorial claims to the continent, the others do not recog- nize these claims. The Treaty simply and effectively sidesteps this issue but the prospect of drilling or mining obviously converts it into a serious problem. At the same time, non- members of the Treaty are contesting the right of Treaty Parties to continue ‘managing’ the Antarctic on their own and have raised the question at the UN.

resources, mineral resources, scien- tific research, Australia’s current poli- cies towards the Antarctic, the prop- osed mineral regime, the case for declaring Antarctica a world park and the Australian Antarctic policy mak- ing process. A workshop to discuss the papers was held in Canberra in March 1984 and in the book each contribu- tion is followed by at least one de- tailed response. The participants come from universities, government depart- ments, private corporations and non- governmental organizations, which makes for an unusually rich and stimu- lating analysis of Antarctic issues.

Direct and immediate

We learn, for example, that Austra- lia’s interests in Antarctica are ‘direct and immediate’. John Brook of the Department of Foreign Affairs argues that Australia’s right to a voice in Antarctic affairs is based on its region- al interests which are ‘quite different from the interests of remoter coun- tries, such as those in the northern hemisphere’. It has a considerable strategic interest, defined by Cisca Spencer of the same department as ‘to have no need to take a strategic interest in the region!‘.

Australia has a special interest in Antarctica. Its territorial claim (inher- ited from the UK in the mid 1930s) amounts to some 40% of the conti- nent, and it has always been a leading member of the Treaty. Because of its proximity, much of the scientific work carried out in Antarctica is of particu- lar relevance to Australia.

This book is based on a series of contributions by experts in the diffe- rent disciplines involved. Papers cover legal aspects of Australian sovereign- ty, boundaries in Antarctica, the his- torical evolution of Australia’s in- terests in this continent, marine living

More surprisingly, we discover that many participants view Australia’s claim as a means of maintaining a say in Antarctica rather than an end in itself. Few claimants would admit to so instrumental a view of their claims, or produce so frank a discussion of their interests. Spencer argues that Australian interest lies in the pre- servation of the Antarctic Treaty rather than sovereignty for its own sake. Hugh Collins, an international relations expert even calls the claim a liability, of declining value as a di- plomatic card, little more than the assertion of a squatter’s right, consis- tent with ‘some of the least admirable aspects of Australia’s national past’. Gillian Triggs, a lecturer in law argues

RESOURCES POLICY September 1985

rather intriguingly that the claim has been diluted in the eyes of internation- al law by Australian involvement in the Antarctic Treaty and by the de- mands put forward by some develop- ing countries for a shared internation- al regime for Antarctica.

New light is also thrown on the rationale for and value of scientific research in Antarctica. W.A. Budd gives a comprehensive account of cur- rent Antarctic research and its rele- vance for Australia and then argues that a marginal increase in expendi- ture would greatly improve the value of the research. John Lonergan, formerly Deputy Secretary at the De- partment of Science and Technology, draws attention to the political basis for scientific research in Antarctica and links the whole question to the ambivalent nature of Australian in- volvement in Antarctica via claim and treaty: ‘the end is the presence, and the motive for the presence is at worst fear or at best uncertainty’. He also mentions that the general science community is not enthused about Antarctic research, largely because of the overheads involved.

Challenging the optimism of the Treaty Parties, Francis Auburn, a professor of law, presents a cogent criticism of the minerals regime being drafted by the Treaty Parties. He argues that the system of jurisdictional ambiguity which has evolved in Antarctica under the Treaty will not work in the face of new jurisdictional problems relating to mineral and other issues.

To complete the picture, splits in the non-governmental environmental movement are highlighted by the pap- er presented by Geoff Mosley and the response by Annette Horsler. Mosley calls for Antarctica to be declared a world park where there would be no resource exploitation. Annette Hors- ler is pessimistic about the chances of achieving this and gives a list of reasons why a world park is not worth fighting for. But is it true, as she argues, that the draft minerals regime developed by Treaty Parties has shown how internal accommodations between claimants and non-claimants may be achieved? And while the joining of Brazil and India has ex-

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Book reviewslRecent papers

tended the constituency of the Treaty has it really broadened the ‘world’ interest in Antarctica as she main- tains? Auburn notes that the concess- sions made to developing countries have been minimal, and indeed in 1985 as pressure at the UN eases off there are signs that Treaty Parties may start backtracking. As Horsler herself acknowledges, it is difficult to ‘run with the hare and hunt with the

hounds’. Many aspects of Antarctic affairs

such as the importance of scientific

research or the real value of a territo- rial claim have traditionally been left unquestioned. This book with its broad range of contributors goes into many of these questions, providing a refreshingly open and penetrating analysis of the legal, political and scientific issues which Australia and other nations face in Antarctica today.

Barbara Mitchell International Institute for

Environment and Development London

Recent papers Hans H. Landsberg, ‘The global slump in metals’, Resources, No 79, Winter 1985, pp 14-17.

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Terry Heaps, ‘The taxation of nonreple- nishable natural resources revisited’, Jour- nal of Environmental Economics and Man-

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Michael J. Mueller and Daniel R. Gorin, ‘Informative trends in natural resource commodity prices: a comment on Slade’, Journal of Environmental Economics and Management, Vol 12, No 1, March 1985, pp 72-88.

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R. Ranieri, The Italian Iron and Steel Industry and European Integration, Euro- pean University Institute, Florence, Italy,

RESOURCES POLICY September 1985