Indian Antarctic Act, 2022

No: 13 Dated: Aug, 06 2022

Indian Antarctic Act, 2022

An Act to provide for the national measures for protecting the Antarctic environment and dependent and associated ecosystems and to give effect to the Antarctic Treaty, the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources and to the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

WHEREAS, the Antarctic Treaty was signed at Washington D.C. on the 1st day of December, 1959;

AND WHEREAS, the Antarctic Treaty was initially signed by twelve countries and since then forty-two other countries have acceded to the Treaty;

AND WHEREAS, of the total of fifty-four State Parties to the Treaty, twenty-nine countries have the status of Consultative Party with a right to vote in the Antarctic Consultative Meetings and twenty-five countries are Non-Consultative Parties having no right to vote therein;

AND WHEREAS, India signed the Antarctic Treaty on the 19th day of August, 1983 and received the consultative status on the 12th day of September, 1983;

AND WHEREAS, the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources was signed at Canberra on the 20th day of May, 1980, inter alia, for the protection and preservation of the Antarctic environment and, in particular, for the preservation and conservation of marine living resources in Antarctica;

AND WHEREAS, India ratified the said Convention on the 17th day of June, 1985 and is a member of the Commission for Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources under that Convention;

AND WHEREAS, the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was signed at Madrid on the 4th day of October, 1991, inter alia, to strengthen the Antarctic Treaty system and for the development of a comprehensive regime for the protection of the Antarctic environment and dependent and associated ecosystems;

AND WHEREAS, India signed the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty on the 14th day of January, 1998;

AND WHEREAS, the Antarctica lies south of 60 ñ South Latitude and which is a natural reserve, devoted to peace and science and should not become the scene or object of any international discord;

AND WHEREAS, it is considered necessary to give effect to the said Treaty, the Convention and the Protocol and to make provisions for the protection of the Antarctic environment and dependent and associated ecosystems and for the regulation of various activities envisaged in Antarctica and for matters connected therewith or incidental thereto.

BE it enacted by Parliament in the Seventy-third Year of the Republic of India as follows:-