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Conserving the oldest historic sites in the Antarctic: the challenges in managing the sealing sites in the South Shetland Islands

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 September 2009

Michael Pearson ,
Ruben Stehberg ,
Andrés Zarankín ,
M. Ximena Senatore  and
Carolina Gatica
Michael Pearson
Affiliation:
Heritage Management Consultants Pty. Ltd, Canberra, Australia(84 Ballarat St., Fisher, ACT 2611) (mike.p@ozemail.com.au)
Ruben Stehberg
Affiliation:
Anthropology Division, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Casilla 787, Santiago, Chile
Andrés Zarankín
Affiliation:
Departamento de Sociologia e Antropologia, Faculdade de Filosofia e Ciências Humanas, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Campus Pampulha, Av. Antonio Carlos, 6627, CEP: 31270 – 901, Belo Horizonte, MG. Brasil
M. Ximena Senatore
Affiliation:
Universidad de Buenos Aires and Departamento de Investigaciones Prehistóricas y Arqueológicas, IMHICIHU, CONICET, Saavedra 15 5th floor, C1083ACA, Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
Carolina Gatica
Affiliation:
Servicio Nacional de la Mujer, San Bernardo, Chile
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Abstract

The fur seal population of the South Shetland Islands, Antarctica, was intensively hunted by sealers from the discovery of the islands in 1819 to the early 1820s, by which time the seal numbers were so depleted that sealing became uneconomic. Sealing was revived for both fur seals and elephant seals at several periods later in the century. Sealers were put ashore in gangs and built makeshift shelters in which to live, and also occupied caves. Many of these have been identified on the various islands of the South Shetlands, and a number have been excavated. The paper addresses some of the management issues facing the conservation of these sites, which include accelerating tourism, disturbance by scientific researchers, disturbance by animal activity, burial or erosion by drifting sand, and climate change.

Type
Research Article
Information
Polar Record , Volume 46 , Issue 1 , January 2010 , pp. 57 - 64
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

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