Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities
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| Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities | |
|---|---|
| Signed | 2 June 1988 |
| Location | Wellington |
| Effective | Not in force |
| Parties | 19 |
| Ratifiers | None |
| Depositary | New Zealand |
The Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities (popular as CRAMRA) is an unratified treaty that is part of the Antarctic Treaty System. The convention was concluded at Wellington on 2 June 1988.[1] The government of New Zealand is the depository of the treaty.[2]
The convention was signed by 19 states, but none have ratified it.[1] Originally intended as "an international mining framework [...], which sought to regulate any possible future resource extraction",[3] the treaty eventually faced backlash by France and Australia and was never ratified.[4] It was primarily rejected by developing states which objected to control of mineral resource activities by the 1959 Antarctic Treaty Consultative Parties, arguing that Antarctica was common heritage.[5] It established property rights and gave special privileges to seven claimant states – including the UK.[6] If passed, it included 67 articles, with 7 chapters.[6] Focus later shifted from possible resource extraction to environmental protection, the CRAMPA was shelved and in 1998 the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (Madrid Protocol)[7] came into force. Therefore, the convention never entered into force.
After its one-year signature period on 25 November 1989 it was not entered into force, after both France and Australia declined to sign it.[5] Due to this, the topic was discussed at the Fifteenth Antarctic Treaty Consultative Conference in October 1989, where a special consultative meeting was agreed to be held in Santiago, Chile.[5]
Notes
[edit]- ^ a b "Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities". New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ "ENTRI -- Treaty Summary". 9 May 2020. Archived from the original on 9 May 2020. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ Dodds, Klaus (12 July 2018). "In 30 years the Antarctic Treaty becomes modifiable, and the fate of a continent could hang in the balance". The Conversation. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
- ^ Dodds, Klaus (4 October 2021). "Saving Antarctica! The 30th Anniversary of the signing of the Protocol on Environmental Protection". British Antarctic Survey. Retrieved 27 April 2025.
- ^ a b c Tenenbaum, Ellen S. (1990). "A World Park in Antarctica: The Common Heritage of Mankind". Virginia Environmental Law Journal. 10 (1): 110–122. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ a b Polar Prospects: A Minerals Treaty for Antarctica. Congress of the United States Office of Technology Assessment. 1989. pp. 186–209. Retrieved 21 June 2025.
- ^ L. Ivanov and N. Ivanova. CRAMRA Convention. In: The World of Antarctica. Generis Publishing, 2022. pp. 140-143. ISBN 979-8-88676-403-1
External links
[edit]- ^ "Convention on the Regulation of Antarctic Mineral Resource Activities. Done at Wellington 2 June 1988. Not in force". 1988-06-02. Archived from the original on 2019-01-23.