Predicting non-native ‘invasions’ in Antarctica
13 January, 2020
A new study identifies the non-native species most likely to ‘invade’ the Antarctic Peninsula region over the next decade. It provides a baseline for all operators in the region to …
Environment Office team
The Environment Office coordinates and monitors environmental activities on BAS stations and ships and at its headquarters in Cambridge to ensure minimum environmental impact.
Our responsibilities
- Developing and implementing BAS environmental policy
- Coordinating the Environmental Management System, registered to ISO14001
- Meeting the requirements of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (1998) and the Antarctic Act (1994)
- Carrying out Environmental Impact Assessments for all projects
- Protecting and conserving historic BAS stations
- Preparing an Annual Environmental Report
- Organising the safe and proper disposal of waste
- Organising fuel spill response and contingency planning
The day-to-day responsibility for environmental and waste management in the Antarctic lies with the Station Leaders, Ship Captains and Field Leaders, but Environment Office staff spend at least part of each summer field season in the Antarctic making environmental inspections or audits of BAS research stations and vessels, as well as leading environmental projects, such as the clean-up of abandoned facilities.
Protecting the Antarctic Environment: 25 years on
4 October, 2016
Celebrating 25 years of environmental protection in Antarctica
UK reaffirms commitment to protecting Antarctica
31 May, 2016
International declaration marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of the 1991 Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty
NEWS STORY: Antarctic conservation issues
13 July, 2012
Challenges facing the future of Antarctica A century ago, Antarctica was one of Earth’s last frontiers, but now the continent is under threat from human activity. An international team of …
Future risk for Southern Ocean ecosystem services under climate change
14 January, 2021 by David Barnes, Eugene Murphy, Kevin Hughes, Michael Meredith, Rachel Cavanagh, Simeon Hill, Susie Grant
The Southern Ocean supports ecosystem services that are important on a global scale. Climate change and human activities (tourism, fishing, and research) will affect both the demand for, and the…Read more on Future risk for Southern Ocean ecosystem services under climate change
Ocean currents as a potential dispersal pathway for Antarctica’s most persistent non-native terrestrial insect.
8 January, 2021 by Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey, Sally Thorpe
The non-native midge Eretmoptera murphyi is Antarctica’s most persistent non-native insect and is known to impact the terrestrial ecosystems. It inhabits by considerably increasing litter turnover and availability of soil…Global drivers on Southern Ocean ecosystems: changing physical environments in an Earth system
15 December, 2020 by David Barnes, Kevin Hughes, Simon Morley
The manuscript assesses the current and expected future global drivers of Southern Ocean (SO) ecosystems. Atmospheric ozone depletion over the Antarctic since the 1970s, has been a key driver, resulting…
Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for Antarctica
1 December, 2020 by Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey
To date, Antarctica is the only continent to have escaped the COVID-19 pandemic. This was facilitated by the continent's isolation and low human presence, combined with the global emergence of…Read more on Implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for Antarctica
The effectiveness of Virkon® S disinfectant against the invasive chironomid Eretmoptera murphyi and implications for Antarctic biosecurity practices
15 September, 2020 by Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey
The flightless midge Eretmoptera murphyi is thought to be continuing its invasion of Signy Island via the treads of personnel boots. Current boot-wash biosecurity protocols in the Antarctic region rely…
Invasive non‐native species likely to threaten biodiversity and ecosystems in the Antarctic Peninsula region
1 April, 2020 by David Vaughan, David Barnes, Jonathan Shanklin, Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey, Simon Morley
The Antarctic is considered to be a pristine environment relative to other regions of the Earth, but it is increasingly vulnerable to invasions by marine, freshwater and terrestrial non‐native species.…
Combining correlative and mechanistic niche models with human activity data to elucidate the invasive potential of a sub‐Antarctic insect.
1 March, 2020 by Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey
Aim Correlative species distribution models (SDMs) are subject to substantial spatio‐temporal limitations when historical occurrence records of data‐poor species provide incomplete and outdated information for niche modelling. Complementary mechanistic modelling…
Thirty years of marine debris in the Southern Ocean: annual surveys of two island shores in the Scotia Sea
1 March, 2020 by Claire Waluda, Iain Staniland, Kevin Hughes, Mari Whitelaw, Michael Dunn, Sally Thorpe
We report on three decades of repeat surveys of beached marine debris at two locations in the Scotia Sea, in the Southwest Atlantic sector of the Southern Ocean. Between October…
Humans and wind, shaping Antarctic soil arthropod biodiversity
1 January, 2020 by Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey
1. Biodiversity loss has increased globally in recent years. The major threat to Antarctica’s unique terrestrial biodiversity is the establishment of non-native species. Nonetheless, while preventing the introduction of non-native…Read more on Humans and wind, shaping Antarctic soil arthropod biodiversity
Sources of elevated heavy metal concentrations in sediments and benthic marine invertebrates of the western Antarctic Peninsula
1 January, 2020 by Kevin Hughes, Lloyd Peck
Antarctica is one of the least anthropogenically-impacted areas of the world. Metal sources to the marine environment include localised activities of research stations and glacial meltwater containing metals of lithogenic…Antarctica: the final frontier for marine biological invasions
1 July, 2019 by Arlie McCarthy, Kevin Hughes, Lloyd Peck
Antarctica is experiencing significant ecological and environmental change, which may facilitate the establishment of non‐native marine species. Non‐native marine species will interact with other anthropogenic stressors affecting Antarctic ecosystems, such…Read more on Antarctica: the final frontier for marine biological invasions
Human-mediated dispersal of terrestrial species between Antarctic biogeographic regions: a preliminary risk assessment
15 February, 2019 by Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey
The distribution of terrestrial biodiversity within Antarctica is complex, with 16 distinct biogeographic regions (Antarctic Conservation Biogeographic Regions) currently recognised within the Antarctic continent, Peninsula and Scotia Arc archipelagos of…Surveys reveal increasing and globally important populations of south polar skuas and Antarctic shags in Ryder Bay (Antarctic Peninsula)
1 February, 2019 by Alison Massey, Janet Silk, Kevin Hughes, Richard Phillips
Despite their importance in ecosystems, population sizes and trends are unknown for many seabirds, including in the Antarctic. Here we report on the first comprehensive survey of south polar skuas…Current logistical capacity is sufficient to deliver the implementation and management of a representative Antarctic protected area system
5 December, 2018 by Kevin Hughes, Susie Grant
Antarctica’s terrestrial ecosystems are vulnerable to impacts resulting from climate change and local human activities. The Antarctic Treaty System (ATS) provides for the designation of protected areas through the Protocol…Importation of psychrotolerant fungi to Antarctic associated with wooden cargo packaging
1 October, 2018 by Kevin Hughes, Kevin Newsham, Marta Misiak
The harsh climatic conditions and low levels of human activity in Antarctica, relative to other regions, means few non-native species have established. However, the risk of introductions is becoming greater…Can the optimisation of pop-up agriculture in remote communities help feed the world?
1 September, 2018 by Beatrix Schlarb-Ridley, Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey
Threats to global food security have generated the need for novel food production techniques to feed an ever-expanding population with ever-declining land resources. Hydroponic cultivation has been long recognised as…Read more on Can the optimisation of pop-up agriculture in remote communities help feed the world?
Microplastics in marine sediments near Rothera Research Station, Antarctica
7 August, 2018 by Kevin Hughes, Marlon Clark, Sarah Reed
Antarctica and surrounding waters are often considered pristine, but may be subject to local pollution from tourism, fishing and governmental research programme activities. In particular, the quantification of microplastic pollution…Read more on Microplastics in marine sediments near Rothera Research Station, Antarctica
Microplastics in the Southern Ocean
16 May, 2018 by Claire Waluda, Huw Griffiths, Kevin Hughes, Sally Thorpe
The Southern Ocean has the lowest densities of floating macroplastic litter in the world. It was thought that the region was relatively free of microplastic contamination. However, recent studies and…
