Hielo, montanas, mar y fauna : El turismo en las islas Shetland del Sur (Antártida marítima) / Glace, montagne, mer et faune : le tourisme dans les Iles Shetland du Sud (Antarctique maritime)

Abstract

Abstract: Ice, mountains, sea and wilderness: tourism in the South Shetland Islands (Maritime Antarctic). Tourism in the Antarctic began in the 1950s, but the most remarkable growth has been relatively recent with an increase of 550 % in tourist numbers over the last decade. To date, 800,000 tourists have visited the South Shetland Islands, with a current rate of 5 000 tourists per year. The tourist population is now greater than the number of scientific staff on the Islands and represents between 50 and 75 % of total Antarctic tourism. In the South Shetland islands, there are seven main tourist destinations, and ship tourism is dominant. The development of Antarctic tourism has led to more frequent landings of cruise ships at an extremely limited number of sites, resulting in serious problems of overcrowding in coastal areas which are ecologically very fragile. Indeed, although tourist visits are not very frequent, they are concentrated along narrow coastal strips which causes considerable pressure on the natural environment. The tourists generally visit the ice- free areas for short periods of time and particularly those areas with exceptional landscapes (mountains, glaciers, fjords, craters, thermal waters). From an ecological point of view, such sites are not only the richest, they are also the most sensitive. The growth in tourism therefore makes it necessary today to implement management measures in accordance with article 2 of the Environmental Protection Protocol of the Antarctic Treaty System. Today, tourist activity must be regulated to ensure the management of protected areas and conservation of the environment, just as scientific activity and the exploitation of other resources in the Antarctic were subject to regulations in the past.