Almost
a
year
ago,
Professor
Kirsten
Müller
from
the
department
of
biology
embarked
on
a
life-changing
voyage
to
Antarctica.
During
this
journey
with
Homeward
Bound,
Müller
and
98
other
women
leaders
from
around
the
globe
encountered
the
rugged
but
beautiful
landscape
of
the
Antarctic
Peninsula.
“The impact of human activity was clearly evident from warming temperatures on the Antarctic peninsula, invasive species, melting sea ice, and shifting and decreasing populations of numerous species,” recalled Müller. “We became critically aware human activity is having a profound impact even in this isolated region of our planet.”
This
October,
spurred
by
on
ship
conversations
from
that
voyage,
Carolyn
Hogg
and
other
Homeward
Bound
4
members
published
a
call
to
action
in
the
prestigious
academic
journal
Nature.
This
article,
accompanied
by
the
signatures
of
289
women
scientists
and
Homeward
Bound
Alumni
including
Müller,
is
calling
for
the
establishment
of
a
new
marine
protected
area
along
the
Western
Antarctic
Peninsula.
The
suggested
protected
area
was
first
proposed
in
2018,
and
is
currently
being
discussed
this
week
by
the
Commission
for
the
Conservation
of
Antarctic
Marine
Living
Resources
(CCAMLR)
–
the
group
that
manages
the
Southern
Ocean’s
resources.
The
call
to
action
in
this
article
and
by
Müller
and
the
Homeward
Bound
alumni
recognizes
four
main
factors
that
are
putting
the
Antarctic
Peninsula
at
risk:
overfishing,
tourism,
expanding
research
infrastructures,
and
climate
change.
As
the
northernmost
point
of
Antarctica,
and
also
the
closest
to
the
tip
of
Southern
America,
it
is
the
easiest
place
to
travel
to
on
the
continent.
This
has
led
to
a
tripling
of
fishing
in
the
area
since
2000,
a
doubling
of
tourists
in
the
past
decade,
and
the
highest
concentration
of
research
stations
on
the
continent.
The proposed marine protection area calls for fishing limits in some areas, and fishing bans closer to the coasts where krill fishing has a direct impact to the food chains and ecosystems of the Antarctic. It would also create a systematic way to protect the area, while allowing for sustainable research efforts and environmentally responsible tourism, as opposed to the piecemeal management currently in place around the peninsula.
“I am so proud of my Homeward Bound 4 colleagues and to also be one of 289 women in STEMM who are signatory to this article to call for marine protected area in Antarctica,” says Müller. “It’s almost a year since I had the privilege to spend three weeks with these amazing women in Antarctica. As a phycologist (a scientist who studies algae and seaweeds), it is critical that we consider our impacts on the polar regions of our planet and protect these fragile ecosystems, including our own Arctic.”
If you would like to learn more about the proposed protected area in the Antarctic Peninsula and add your voice to the call for action, visit Antarctica Now. You can also follow them on Twitter and Instagram.