The mountains, seas filled with blue whales, emperor penguins and leopard seals of Antarctica are all protected to preserve wildlife with an international agreement.This coldest and most pristine of the world’s ecosystems has been protected since 1998. Oil drilling is banned for at least 50 years. Conservation is emphasized over development interests. Very few things that would be a danger to the wildlife here are allowed. This means that everything from pesticides to dogs are banned.

The continent is protected through the Environmental Protection Protocol to the Antarctica Treaty.In this protocol, every major nation in the world is required to refrain from developing anything industrial or commercial in one area.Approved in 1991, this treaty has the support of the leading 26 nations including the United States, Japan, India, China, Brazil, Argentina, and the majority of all European nations. To find great antarctica tours information see this resource.

The treaty stopped the arguing that was going on for more than 15 years about regulating the area.The rules banned oil drilling and mining. It requires that the nations who run Antarctica’s 35 scientific research outposts clean out their garbage dumps.Further, tourist vessels and scientific stations are prohibited from discharging raw sewage into the waters surrounding Antarctica.

The Norwegian explorer, Roald Amundsen, was the first person to arrive at the South Pole in 1911, and he used sled dogs to get there.Dogs are now banned by the agreement since some dogs have killed penguins and other birds of the region.In addition, pesticides, polystyrene components, and contaminated dirt cannot be transported to Antarctica.

There is land on Antarctica, but it’s hidden under a mile of ice, and the amount of plant life found there is minimal.Almost three-quarters of the Earth’s fresh water is in the Antarctic ice.In the waters that surround the continent, seals, fish, aquatic birds, and whales thrive.If you want more comprehensive info on adventure antarctica tours that site will help you.

Antarctica is a very fragile ecosystem.Growth takes place very slowly because of the consistency of the sub zero temperatures.It can take years to recover from pollution in that area.Fore example, even a footprint on a moss bed can remain the same for a decade.

1959 marked the signing of the initial Antarctic Treaty, and it prohibited military operations and the testing of nuclear devices in the region.The treaty also declares Antarctica independent of any nations and also establishes guidelines for research. A nation occupies nearly every inch of the area even though no one actually owns Antarctica.

Once scientists found a rather large concentration of offshore oil reserves, as well as abundant mineral deposits that led environmental lobbyists to advocate laws for conservation ever since the 1980s.Discussions about drilling for oil in Antarctica began in the 1970’s during that decade’s energy crisis.Drilling for oil in Antarctica will probably become a highly-debated topic if the cost of oil continues to go up.

The twenty-six nations that formed the agreement will independently enforce the regulations.Should a nation’s citizens break the laws and its government declines to intervene, the other countries would exert pressure to resolve the problem.The story of Antarctica is very encouraging for the environmentalist movement.