Projects - Y (Yousra) Makanse MSc

ProAct: Proactive Management of Antarctic Tourism: Exploring the Role of ATS Principles and Values and Best Practices Beyond the ATS

The project ‘Proactive Management of Antarctic Tourism: Exploring the Role of ATS Principles and Values and Best Practices Beyond the ATS (ProAct project) is a joint project between Tilburg University, Utrecht University, and Wageningen University & Research. Funded by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), the project commenced on 1 March 2021 and will run for a period of 5 years. 

Antarctic tourism has significantly increased – both in visitor numbers and types of activities – and further increases are projected. Many States and other stakeholders are concerned that the 1991 Environmental Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty and other regulations adopted at Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings (ATCMs) provide insufficient protection for human safety, scientific research and the Antarctic environment.  

The ProAct project aims to support the Netherlands and possibly the ATCM in proactive management of tourism within the Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) on four themes:  

1. maximizing visitor numbers by a cap-and-trade system;  
2. constraining diversification of activities by pre-assessment procedures;  
3. improving domestic implementation of ATS tourism regulations; and  
4. enhancing the role of non-use and non-user States.