Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty and its Annexes -International Agreement on the Comprehensive Measures for the Protection of Antarctic Environment and Ecosystems-

According to the Recommendation XV-1 adopted at the Fifteenth Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting in October 1989,the elaboration of the Comprehensive Measures for the Protection of the Antarctic Environment and Dependent and Associated Ecosystems was undertaken by the Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties (ATCP) at Vina del Mar in Chile in November 1990. The five meetings, one at Vina del Mar and four at Madrid, were held as the Eleventh Antarctic Treaty Special Consultative Meeting. The meetings were attended also by non-Consultative Antarctic Treaty Parties and intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations such as CCAMLR, IOC, SCAR, IUCN, ASOC, etc., as observers. The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty and its four Annexes were adopted by the ATCP on October 4,1991. Part of the process of negotiations and the background of the adopted instruments are reported. The authentic texts of Protocol and its Annexes in English and their provisional Japanese translation by the author are appended