Revisiting debates over China’s proposed Antarctic specially managed area at Dome A: a test of consistency for the Antarctic Treaty System

Abstract

Facing the challenges arising from climate change and biodiversity loss, the tool of protected areas has been gaining increasing attention. This phenomenon is similarly observed in the Antarctic. At this critical juncture, revisiting the practice of the Antarctic Treaty System in relation to the Antarctic Specially Managed Area (ASMA), particularly China’s proposal to designate an ASMA at Dome A in 2013, will be valuable. This paper compares several key features of existing ASMAs, including their management plans, and reviews the debates on China’s proposal since 2013. Three dilemmas of the Antarctic Treaty System are observed, and thorough analyses are conducted. This paper argues that China’s proposal fully complies with the rules of the Environmental Protocol, and safeguarding and promoting consistency in the application and interpretation of the rules of the Antarctic Treaty and its Environmental Protocol should be the top priority for the Antarctic Treaty System.