Citation and commencement

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Antarctic (Amendment) Regulations 2009 and shall come into force on 22nd September 2009. The Antarctic Regulations 1995(2) ("the principal Regulations"), as amended(3), and these Regulations may be cited together as the Antarctic Regulations 1995 to 2009.

Amendment of Schedule 1 to the principal Regulations

2. The Schedules to the principal Regulations shall be amended as follows:

(a) There shall be deleted from Schedule 1 the areas listed as:

(i) Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 124: Cape Crozier, Ross Island, and

(ii) Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 137: Northwest White Island, McMurdo Sound.

(b) There shall be added to Schedule 1 the areas listed and described in Schedule 1 to these Regulations.

Regulation 2(b)

SCHEDULE 1

Cape Crozier is at the eastern extremity of Ross Island, where an ice-free area comprises the lower eastern slopes of Mount Terror. The designated area is situated in the vicinity of Post Office Hill (407 metres), extending to encompass the adjacent Ross Ice Shelf where large cracks in the shelf are covered by fast-ice which is occupied annually by breeding emperor penguins.

The Area includes a terrestrial region and ice shelf above the mean high water mark as well as the adjacent fast-ice within the boundaries occupied by breeding emperor penguins. The north boundary of the Area extends 6.5 kilometres along the 77°26-�00-�S line of latitude from 169°11-�30-�E to 169°28-�00-�E. The west boundary extends 1.5 kilometres south from the northern boundary to the coast, thence in a south-westerly direction following a low ice-free ridge that passes 30 metres west of the field hut and helicopter pad. The boundary then follows this ridge in a southerly direction to the saddle south-west of the summit of Post Office Hill at 169°11-�30-�E, 77°28-�00-�S, before following the 169°11-�30-�E line of longitude south to a point at 169°11-�30-�E, 77°31-�00-�S, which is close to the summit of Bomb Peak (740 metres). The boundary extends down the south-east ridge of Bomb Peak to Igloo Spur at 169°20-�00-�E, 77°32-�00-�S, from where it extends due east along latitude 77°32-�00-�S to the east boundary at 169°28-�00-�E.

The location and boundaries of the Area are shown on "ASPA No. 124: Cape Crozier, Map 1: Topography & boundary" and "ASPA No. 124: Cape Crozier, Map 2: Access, facilities, and wildlife" on pages 196-197 of the Final Report of the Thirty-first Consultative Meeting of the Antarctic Treaty, published in Cm 7527 (March 2009).

White Island, part of the McMurdo volcanic complex, is situated approximately 20 kilometres south-east of the edge of the McMurdo Ice Shelf and 25 kilometres south-east of Hut Point, the location of McMurdo Station (United States) and Scott Base (New Zealand) on Ross Island. The roughly triangular island is approximately 30 kilometres long and 15 kilometres wide at its maximum, and rises to a maximum elevation of 762 metres in several locations.

The island is predominantly ice-covered with most of the rock outcrops being in the north; it is completely surrounded by permanent shelf ice, between 10 metres and 100 metres in thickness, of the McMurdo Ice Shelf and Ross Ice Shelf.

The Area includes 142 square kilometres of the shelf ice and open-water cracks of both the Ross Ice Shelf and McMurdo Ice Shelf up to 5 kilometres offshore north-east, north and west from the White Island coast. The north-eastern boundary extends from the north-eastern coast of Cape Spencer-Smith (167°32-�42-�E, 78°00-�43-�S) 5 kilometres due east to 167°46-�37-�E, 78°00-�43-�S. The boundary then extends north-west, and follows a line parallel to and 5 kilometres from the coast, around Cape Spencer Smith and then heading south-west to 167°00-�00-�E, 78°05-�00-�S. The boundary then extends due south for 7.8 kilometres to 167°00-�00-�E, 78°09-�12-�S, and thence 1.5 kilometres east to the southern-most significant outcrop of rock on the western coast of White Island (167°05-�00-�E, 78°09-�12-�S). The boundary then extends northwards, following the coastline around Cape Spencer Smith to the north-eastern limit of the Area. The White Island coast is distinguished by a change in surface slope where the transition between the floating ice-shelf and land occurs: the transition is in some places gradual and indistinct, and the exact position of the coast is not precisely known. For this reason the coastal (generally east) boundary of the Area is considered to follow the line of the coast as evidenced by a surface elevation rise towards the land of two metres above the average elevation of the adjacent McMurdo Ice Shelf.

The location and boundaries of the Area are shown on "ASPA No. 127: NW White Island, Map 1: Topographic map" on page 238 of the Final Report of the Thirty-first Consultative Meeting of the Antarctic Treaty, published in Cm 7527 (March 2009).

The Grove Mountains are located approximately 400 kilometres inland (south) of the Larsemann Hills in Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica, on the eastern bank of the Lambert Rift. Mount Harding is the largest mount around Grove Mountains region, and located in the core area of the Grove Mountains that presents a ridge-valley physiognomies consisting of nunataks, trending NNE-SSW and is 200 metres above the surface of blue ice.

The Area is irregular, and approximately rectangular in shape, with a width of about 10 kilometres from east to west, a length of about 12 kilometres from south to north and a total area of about 120 square kilometres.

The western boundary of the Area is the moraine on the west side of Mount Harding, with its northern end turning eastward to the open blue-ice detritus zone on the east side of the Zakharoff Ridge via the north flank of the northern ridge of Mount Harding and the northern end of the Zakharoff Ridge, turning southwards to the northern end of Davey Nunataks, and then heading westwards to the southern end of the Xi Lake moraine to close the whole area.

The geographical co-ordinates of the nine control points located at its boundary are anti-clockwise: 1. 74°57-�E, 72°51-�S, 2. 74°54-�E, 72°53-�S, 3. 74°53-�E, 72°55-�S, 4. 74°54-�E, 72°57-�S, 5. 75°00-�E, 72°57-�S, 6. 75°10-�E, 72°57-�S, 7. 75°12-�E, 72°55-�S, 8. 75°11-�E, 72°52-�S, 9. 75°08-�E, 72°51-�S.

No markers or signs are currently in place to mark the boundary.

The location and boundaries of the Area are shown on "Map A1. Position of Grove Mountains", "Map A2. Grove Mountains Area, Antarctica" and Map B. Protected Area around Mount Harding, Grove Mountains, Antarctica" on pages 122 - 124 of the Final Report of the Thirty-first Consultative Meeting of the Antarctic Treaty, published in Cm 7527 (March 2009).

Amanda Bay lies south-west of the Brattstrand Cliffs, between the Vestfold Hills to the north-east and the Larsemann Hills to the south-west on the Ingrid Christensen Coast, Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica. Amanda Bay is approximately 3 kilometres wide and 6 kilometres long, and opens north-west into Prydz Bay. The south-west side of the bay is flanked by the Flatnes Ice Tongue secured by Cowell Island at its western corner. The southern and eastern sides are bounded by continental ice cliffs. There are small islets towards the centre of the bay and several un-named islands a few kilometres offshore.

The Amanda Bay ASPA No.169 comprises the rocks, islands and water, including fast ice, lying within an irregular area, covering the general area of Amanda Bay, commencing at a point to the north-east of Hovde Island at the terminus of the Hovde Glacier, 76°53-�54.48-�E, 69°13-�25.77-�S; then south along the coastline at the base of the Hovde Glacier ice cliffs, to a point at 76°53-�44.17-�E, 69°16-�22.72-�S; then west along the coastline at the base of a series of ice-free bluffs to a point 76°49-�37.47-�E, 69°16-�58.48-�S; then north along the base of the Flatnes Ice Tongue ice cliffs, to a point at the terminus of the Flatnes Ice Tongue, 76°46-�41.07-�E, 69°14-�44.37-�S; then a straight line in a north-easterly direction connecting with the originating point at 76°53-�54.48-�E, 69°13-�25.77-�S.

The location and boundaries of the Area are shown on "Map A: Amanda Bay Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 169, Ingrid Christensen Coast, Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica. Location of Amanda Bay" and "Map B: Amanda Bay, Antarctic Specially Protected Area No. 169, Ingrid Christensen Coast, Princess Elizabeth Land, East Antarctica. Location of Emperor Penguin Colony and Physical Features" on pages 142 - 143 of the Final Report of the Thirty-first Consultative Meeting of the Antarctic Treaty, published in Cm 7527 (March 2009).

Marion Nunataks lie on the northern edge of Charcot Island, a remote ice-covered island to the west of Alexander Island, Antarctic Peninsula, in the eastern Bellingshausen Sea. Marion Nunataks form a 12 kilometre chain of rock outcrops on the mid-north coast of the island and stretch from Mount Monique on the western end to Mount Martine on the eastern end and consist predominantly of steep north-facing cliffs. The Area is 176 square kilometres (maximum dimensions are 9.2 kilometres north-south and 19.2 kilometres east-west) and includes all of the known ice-free land on Charcot Island.

Charcot Island is roughly circular in shape, approximately 50 kilometres across and is separated from north-west Alexander Island (~ 100 kilometres away) by Wilkins Sound and Wilkins Ice shelf. Charcot Island is ice-covered with the exception of Marion Nunataks (69°45-�S, 75°15-�W), which form a 12 kilometre chain of rock outcrops that overlook the mid-north coast of Charcot Island, and consist predominantly of steep north-facing cliffs. Mount Monique lies towards the western end of the Marion Nunataks chain and Mount Martine to the eastern end.

The Area comprises the icesheet, nunataks, rocks, sea ice and islands including Cheeseman Island (69°43-�24-�S, 75°11-�00-�W) lying within a rectangle enclosed by the following coordinates:

There are no boundary markers delimiting the Area. The Area does not include the marine environment below the low water mark. The protected land area is 176 square kilometres and includes all of the ice-free land on Charcot Island (known as of the year 2008). The Area also includes ice cap that extends at least 4 kilometres to the south and east of the nunataks, which is intended to act as a buffer zone to prevent accidental importation of species not native to the Area.

The location and boundaries of the Area are shown on "Map 1. Charcot Island in relation to Alexander Island and the Antarctic Peninsula", "Map 2: Charcot Island including the Marion Nunataks Antarctic Specially Protected Area boundary" and "Map 3. Marion Nunataks with Antarctic Specially Protected Area boundary" on pages 159-161 of the Final Report of the Thirty-first Consultative Meeting of the Antarctic Treaty, published in Cm 7527 (March 2009).

EXPLANATORY NOTE

(This note is not part of the Regulations)

The Regulations amend Schedule 1 to the Antarctic Regulations 1995 by adding three further restricted areas and by modifying the description of two restricted areas, to give effect to Measures 2, 3, 4, 7 and 9 (2008) of the Thirty-first Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (Kyiv, 2008).

The Measures adopted by the Thirty-first Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (Kyiv, 2008) are published in Command Paper Cm 7527 (March 2009). They may also be viewed on the internet website of the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat (www.ats.aq).