Delegates from 47 countries, including India, are brainstorming at the 30th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) here on ways to protect the icy continent from commercial tourism, which has raised concerns over the “human impact” on the fragile environment.

“When the treaty was drafted in 1959, no one conceived that the Antarctic would one day become a hot spot for tourism. We do not want to discourage tourism, but we are in favour of regulating it in such a manner that the fragile environment of the icy continent is preserved,” said Union Minister for Science and Technology Kapil Sibal.

The treaty does not permit habitation, but research bases are allowed. Now, there are more visiting tourists than scientists, who, of course, stay there longer. Antarctic tourism began in the late 1950s. It was in the 1990s, however, that the number of visitors rose steadily. From 4,698 in 1990-91, it rose to 24,281 in 2003-04 and 35,000 in 2006-07. The estimate for 2007-08 is 50,000.

Antarctic tourism is no longer a niche market; it looks set to become a mass market. Besides tourists who reach the continent by ship, there are those who fly in. Soon, tour operators may use giant cruise liners instead of smaller vessels with hulls reinforced against damage by ice.

All this could disrupt research and also increase the risk of catastrophe.

India has proposed to set up a third research base at Larsemann Hills, an ice-free rocky stretch on the eastern coast of the continent. The spot’s scenic beauty attracts many tourists.