Antarctic Treaty

Although the Antarctic does not "belong" to anyone as such, anybody travelling to the territory covered by the Antarctic Treaty must comply with certain rules during their stay. Any German national planning an activity in the Antarctic or organising a journey which originates in Germany must be granted approval from the German Federal Environment Agency.

It is difficult at first glance to see the connection between a German environment agency and the Antarctic - after all, Germany has no territorial claims in the eternal ice. However, Germany is a Party to the Antarctic Treaty and thus assumes responsibility for the Antarctic. The German Environment Agency (UBA) helps to meet these responsibilities.

Roald Amundsen said, “We must not cease to remember with gratitude and admiration the first seafarers who navigated their ships through storms and fog to augment our knowledge of the land of ice in the south”. Since discovery of the Antarctic our knowledge of it has grown steadily, and so has our responsibility for this fragile ecosystem.