The role of Malaysia under the Antarctic Treaty and Madrid Protocol

Abstract

The Antarctic Treaty 1959 is the body that governs the Antarctic continent which plays an important role of preserving Antarctica's pristine environment. The Antarctic Treaty utilizes several environmental agreements namely Madrid Protocol to minimize the negative impacts of activities in the icy continent. Malaysia has been continuously expanding the Antarctic based research executed by local scientists since 1980s. Furthermore, Malaysia has officially joined the force in preserving the Antarctica's environment in 2011 by acceding the Antarctic Treaty and the Madrid Protocol. Thus, persistent efforts have been carried out in developing Malaysia's Antarctic Act to comply with both the Antarctic Treaty and the Madrid Protocol.