Map of S Georgia & the S Sandwich Is (click to view full-size)
Background information
Legislation regarding biodiversity and impact assessment
International
International Conventions to which South Georgia and the South Sandwich Isles are a party under the UK ratifications are:
- World Heritage Convention
- Ramsar Convention
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
- Convention on Migratory Species
- Convention on Biological Diversity
- International Convention on the Regulation of Whaling
- Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR)
In addition, the South Sandwich Isles are party to the Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (CCAS).
National
National legislation relating to species and site protection falls under the Falkland Islands Dependencies Conservation Ordinance 1975. (There may now be more legislation under the South Georgia Management Plan drawn up by BAS).
Further information on this legislation is available through the legislation pages.
Key development areas and issues
Biodiversity interest
Both South Georgia and the South Sandwich Isles are uninhabited sub-Antarctic island groups. South Georgia extends to the groups of Clerke Rocks and Shag Rocks. The main island is mountainous, with permanent ice and snow over 50%+ of the territory. The South Sandwich Islands lie a further 470km SE - closer to Antarctica. The larger islands in the group are primarily ice-covered, whilst the smaller become ice-free in summer. Almost all the islands show signs of volcanic activity, and are the only volcanic arc in the Antarctic region.
On South Georgia established alien species may be outcompeting native species, but the number of non-native species is still low. Reindeer (Rangifer tarangus) may be helping the spread of two of the non-native grasses. Introduced rodents are restricted by the extent of the glaciers, but the decline in the extent of glacier cover will enable rodents to expand their distributions. The South Sandwich Islands are in the enviable position of having no known non-native species recorded (Varnham 2006).
Further information about important species of the islands may be found through this page
Protected Areas
Both South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands have been proposed as Ramsar sites in their entirety (?), although these designations have yet to be formally recognised.
Further information about protected areas of the islands may be found through this page