There is an international agreement that protects the entire continent of Antarctica. This includes every thing from the mountain ranges to the seas full of blue whales, emperor penguins, and leopard seals.Since it was signed in 1998, drilling for oil and mining operations are prohibited for a minimum of 50 years on this continent, which is the most frigid and unspoiled ecosystem on the planet.A very strong priority has been given to conservation instead of development.The accord also bans a great number of potential dangers to its wildlife, such as dogs and pesticides.

The accord is called the Environmental Protection Protocol to the Antarctica Treaty.In this protocol, every major nation in the world is required to refrain from developing anything industrial or commercial in one area.The treaty was approved in 1991 by 26 leading nations including the United States, Russia, China, India, Japan, Argentina, Brazil and most major European countries who had interests in the area.To find antarctica travel adventures information see this resource.

By delineating regulation, the treaty served to end more than fifteen years of lobbying by environmentalists and diplomatic discussions.In addition to the restriction of oil and mining, the treaty also requires nations that run any of Antarctica's 35 scientific outposts to remove all trash.It keeps tourists shops and scientific stations from discharging raw sewage into the surrounding waters.

Explorers such as the Norwegian Roald Amundsen, the first to reach the South Pole in 1911, depended upon sled dogs for their transportation.Dogs are now banned by the agreement since some dogs have killed penguins and other birds of the region.The treaty also bans non-sterile soil, pesticides, and polystyrene packaging anywhere in Antarctica.

There is ice that is more than one mile thick over the land and it does not allow life to flourish much except for some grass and moss near the shore.The ice that covers the land of Antarctica has 70 percent of the freshwater of the earth.Surrounding the ice mass is an abundant amount of seals, fish, sea birds, and whales. If you want more comprehensive info on adventure antarctica tours that site will help you.

On this earth, Antarctica is considered to be one of the most fragile places.Not a lot of growth occurs in the intense cold.The land takes years to recover from any damage inflicted on it.A footprint could stay in the moss for a decade.

1959 marked the signing of the initial Antarctic Treaty, and it prohibited military operations and the testing of nuclear devices in the region.Rules for research were established and Antarctica was declared to be owned by no nation.While no country may possess Antarctica, literally every square inch of the land is claimed by some country or the other.

In the early 80s, after scientist discovered deposits of zinc, coal, manganese, uranium, copper, gold, iron and offshore oil, environmental groups started to push for conservation laws. There were companies that tried to get approved to do Antarctic drilling to fight the 1970s energy crisis.With technology advancement and increases in the price of oil, interest in these deposits will probably become more intense.

Each of the 26 nations will enforce rules individually on their claims.This is kept in check by the other nations in the treaty applying pressure to the government to punish any transgression.There are many people who see this accord as an environmental success story.