The Environment Office coordinates and monitors environmental activities on BAS stations and ships and at its headquarters in Cambridge to ensure minimum environmental impact.
The day-to-day responsibility for environmental and waste management in the Antarctic lies with the Station Leaders, Ship Captains and Lead Field Guides, but Environment Office staff spend at least part of each summer field season in the Antarctic undertaking environmental inspections or audits of BAS research stations and vessels, as well as leading environmental projects, such as the clean-up of abandoned facilities.
20 November, 2023
Last month, October 2023, Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) was confirmed on Bird Island, South Georgia in the brown skua populations. Since then, a number of other cases of symptomatic …
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 …
4 October, 2016
Celebrating 25 years of environmental protection in Antarctica
31 May, 2016
International declaration marks the 25th anniversary of the signing of the 1991 Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty
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 …
16 August, 2024 by Livia Oldland
This summer British Antarctic Survey (BAS) hosted two paid internships through the 10,000 Black Interns scheme. We are committed to creating a workplace that is fair and inclusive and where …
25 January, 2023 by David Wilkins
Here at British Antarctic Survey, we recently opened our doors to over 40 companies in science, technology, and green innovation to help us make the next steps in reaching net …
1 December, 2025 by Kevin Hughes
Biological invasions are one of the major drivers of biodiversity decline and have been shown to have far‐reaching consequences for society and the economy. Preventing the introduction and spread of…1 December, 2025 by Jasmine Lee, Kevin Hughes, Richard Phillips
Tourism in Antarctica is increasing rapidly and is concentrated predominantly in ice-free areas in the Antarctic Peninsula region, an area that holds globally important colonies of breeding birds. Since 2005,…1 October, 2025 by Aanchal Jain, Clara Manno, Kevin Hughes
Microplastic release in Antarctica is an issue of increasing concern, despite the limited human presence in the region. This study estimates the annual release of microplastics from the wastewaters of…9 September, 2025 by Henry Burgess, James Kirkham, Kate Hendry, Kevin Hughes, Robert Larter, Susie Grant
Fossil-fuel burning is heating the planet with catastrophic consequences for its habitability and for the natural world on which our existence depends. Halting global warming requires rapid and deep decarbonization…1 August, 2025 by Jo Cole, Kevin Hughes, Nadia Frontier
Reducing plastic pollution of the Antarctic environment is a priority for the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP). Polyester flags mounted on…17 July, 2025 by Jasmine Lee, Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey
This report presents outcomes from the international workshop "Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBV) Framework for Terrestrial Antarctic and Sub-Antarctic Ecosystems," held in Cambridge, UK, from 18–20 September 2024, with significant online…22 May, 2025 by Kevin Hughes
With biodiversity loss escalating globally, a step change is needed in our capacity to accurately monitor species populations across ecosystems. Robotic and autonomous systems (RAS) offer technological solutions that may…17 April, 2025 by Kevin Hughes, Michael Meredith, Rebecca Peel, Stephen Roberts
This chapter examines the historical legacy of human activities in and around Antarctica and assesses pollutants from the mid-late 20th century onwards that will have lasting impacts, potentially thousands of…14 April, 2025 by Jasmine Lee, Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey
Antarctica has been subject to direct human activity for a little over 200 years. In recent decades, the combination of sharp increases in human activity and regional climate change, particularly…Read more on Status assessment of non-native terrestrial species in Antarctica
6 February, 2025 by Huw Griffiths, Kevin Hughes, Lloyd Peck, Peter Convey
Antarctica harbors many distinctive features of life, yet much about the diversity and functioning of Antarctica’s life remains unknown. Evolutionary histories and functional ecology are well understood only for vertebrates,…22 January, 2025 by Dominic Hodgson, Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey
Antarctica, Earth’s least understood and most remote continent, is threatened by human disturbances and climate-related changes, underscoring the imperative for biodiversity inventories to inform conservation. Antarctic ecosystems support unique species…20 January, 2025 by Kevin Hughes, Kudzai Hwengwere, Lloyd Peck, Melody Clark
Despite being recognised as a global problem, our understanding of human-mediated antimicrobial resistance (AMR) spread to remote regions of the world is limited. Antarctica, often referred to as “the last…23 December, 2024 by Julie Jupe, Kevin Hughes
The relevance of education and outreach (E&O) activities about the Antarctic Treaty has been recognized at the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings (ATCM) and at the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP).…17 December, 2024 by Kevin Hughes
The Antarctic Circumpolar Current reduces the oceanographic transport of organisms from adjacent temperate ecosystems southward. Additionally, the extreme environmental conditions in the Antarctic marine environment, in particular south of the…Read more on Marine non-native species in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica
1 December, 2024 by Beverley Ager, Kevin Hughes
Antarctica is governed through consensus-based decision-making by the 29 Consultative Parties to the Antarctic Treaty. Another 28 ‘non-Consultative Parties’ have acceded to the Treaty and agreed to be bound by…1 November, 2024 by Kevin Hughes
Protection of specific species, generally through the implementation of an associated action plan, is a conservation tool used commonly in areas under national jurisdiction. The Antarctic Treaty area is under…1 October, 2024 by Kevin Hughes
Ireland has a rich Antarctic history, with Bransfield, Crozier, Shackleton, Crean and others acting as key Irish individuals in Antarctic exploration. Recognized as a source of Irish national pride, memorials,…26 September, 2024 by Anthony Fox, Ashley Bennison, Dan McKenzie, Elizabeth Holmes, Elaine Fitzcharles, Freya Blockley, George Day, Isabel Stubbs, Jennifer Forster Davidson, Jaume Forcada, Kevin Hughes, Marcia Blyth, Michael Dunn, Norman Ratcliffe, Richard Phillips, Rosamund Hall, Steven Marshall, Simon Morley, Stacey Adlard
Capsule: HPAI H5N1 was documented for the first time in the subantarctic region on Bird Island, South Georgia, resulting in the mortality of Brown Skuas Stercorarius antarcticus, Gentoo Penguins Pygoscelis…24 June, 2024 by Ben Robinson, David Seaton, Kevin Hughes, Simon Morley
Shallow water Antarctic marine macroepifaunal assemblages live in one of the most naturally disturbed marine environments due to the impact of icebergs scouring the seafloor. They are, however, amongst the…Read more on Measuring the impact of wharf construction on the Antarctic Benthos
1 March, 2024 by Kevin Hughes, Peter Convey
This paper explores how the COVID-19 pandemic affected science and tourism activities and their governance in the Antarctic and Southern Ocean. The pandemic reduced the ability of Antarctic Treaty Parties…Read more on How the COVID-19 pandemic signaled the demise of Antarctic exceptionalism
