ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the issue of bioprospecting in the Antarctic. It presents the component parts of the Antarctic Treaty System including, importantly, those articles of the Antarctic Treaty itself which require the closest examination in the context of commercial activities, like bioprospecting, in the Antarctic region. The chapter moves on to discuss the implications of the specific obligations contained within the Antarctic Treaty focusing on the obligation for free availability of information and results and the use of Antarctica for peaceful purposes only. It goes on to investigate the article IV obligation to compromise on sovereignty and the impact of the obligation on Antarctic resource use. The chapter concludes with consideration of the future of Antarctic bioprospecting. Even Southern Ocean fishing and the Antarctic tourism industry may pale in comparison to the commercial and therefore economic potential of a bioprospecting industry developing from Antarctic-derived biodiversity.
