CIÊNCIAS present at the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings

Catarina Frazão Santos, professor at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (Ciências ULisboa) and researcher at MARE – Centre for Marine and Environmental Sciences and ARNET – Aquatic Research Network, joined the Portuguese Delegation at the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings for the second consecutive time, which took place between 11 and 21 May, in Hiroshima, Japan.

The meetings brought together more than 400 delegates from 58 countries, including consultative and non-consultative members, observer organisations, and international scientific and environmental entities. Portugal has participated in these meetings in person since the ratification of the Antarctic Treaty in 2010, and has been part of the Committee for Environmental Protection since 2014.

Within the scope of the PLAnT project, funded by the European Research Council (ERC), the Portuguese Delegation presented document IP 146 – Towards a climate-smart pathway for ocean management in Antarctica, developed in collaboration with Canada and France. The project, which began in 2024 and will last five years, seeks to explore the benefits and challenges of developing “climate-smart” maritime spatial planning approaches in the Antarctic Ocean, creating knowledge that may serve as a reference for other marine regions, both within and outside national jurisdiction.

The document presented demonstrates how participatory mapping tools can support adaptive, integrated, and resilient management in response to climate change in the Antarctic Ocean. The information presented is based on research led by Catarina Frazão Santos and published in the scientific journals Science, in 2024, and Nature Reviews Biodiversity, in 2026.

“Participating in the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings as a member of the Portuguese Delegation was a unique experience and of enormous relevance for the research we are conducting within the scope of the PLAnT project. One thing is to produce scientific knowledge about a subject; another, very different, is to observe how that knowledge can be translated into a political context, what opportunities exist and the challenges it faces," shares Catarina Frazão Santos. "It is a real ‘reality check’. This participation also allows us to strengthen the link between science and international policy and ensure that the PLAnT project continues to generate relevant scientific information for decision-making processes in Antarctica,” she adds.

The researcher personally presented the document during the 28th Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection, held on 14 May. In the Portuguese intervention, the alignment of this approach with the recommendations of the third Joint Workshop of the Committee for Environmental Protection and the Scientific Committee of CAMLR on Climate Change and Monitoring was highlighted, held immediately before the start of the meetings.

Portugal also encouraged the other members to consider the relevance of these approaches for spatial management of Antarctica, in conjunction with already existing instruments, such as Antarctic Specially Protected Areas (ASPAs) and marine protected areas. During the meeting, Portugal also announced the organisation of a symposium dedicated to the topic at the international SCAR Open Science Conference 2026, which will take place in Oslo in August 2026, and whose scientific organisation is led by Catarina Frazão Santos.

This is not the first time that the PLAnT project has contributed to the work of the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings. In 2024 and 2025, the documents IP 167 – Marine spatial planning for a sustainable and climate-resilient Antarctic Ocean and IP 64 – Towards climate-smart marine spatial planning in the Antarctic Ocean had already been presented.

The Antarctic Treaty is internationally recognised as an example of scientific and diplomatic cooperation, promoting research, peace, international cooperation and environmental protection on that continent. The Consultative Meetings aim to discuss issues of common interest and develop recommendations that promote the principles and objectives of the Treaty. The Portuguese Delegation is appointed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Foundation for Science and Technology.