Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs

Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs
HeadquartersChristchurch, New Zealand
Membership
33 members
4 observers
Establishment1988
Website
www.comnap.aq

Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP) is an international association that develops and promotes best practice in managing the support of scientific research in Antarctica. Members are composed of national research programs who respective governments are signatories to the Antarctic Treaty committing the continent as a natural reserve.

COMNAP members are responsible for the operation of around 80 research stations and the other infrastructure that supports science across Antarctica. Its secretariat is in Christchurch, New Zealand.[1] COMNAP has an observer status and reports its activities at the yearly Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meetings.[2]

Activities

Through collaboration, members gather research data from all Antarctic regions from terrestrial, marine and atmospheric environments. COMNAP convenes geographic regional break-out groups covering the Peninsula, Ross Sea, East Antarctica, Larsemann Hills, Dronning Maud Land, and High Plateau. Antarctic research is enabled by a multitude of key scientific infrastructure, facilities and support platforms operated by countries across these regions and disciplines.

COMNAP has developed comprehensive guidelines on a range of topics in support of science in Antarctica. These include air safety, managing waste, preventing oil spills, contingency planning and reducing impact on the Antarctic environment. It has established working groups and networks addressing such issues as shipping and air operations, energy management, training and environmental issues.

Membership

Countries engaging in Antarctic research, which are also signatories to the Antarctic Treaty and the Environmental Protocol may participate in COMNAP. Membership is open to those countries’ national agencies responsible for planning and conducting Antarctic operations in support of science.

Country National Antarctic Program Status Year-round facilities Seasonal facilities
 Argentina Dirección Nacional del Antártico Founding Member 6 7
 Australia Australian Antarctic Division Founding Member 3 0
 Belarus National Academy of Sciences of Belarus Member since 2015[3] 0 1
 Belgium Belgian Federal Science Policy and Polar Secretariat Member 0 1
 Brazil Programa Antártico Brasileiro Founding Member 1 0
 Bulgaria Bulgarian Antarctic Institute Member since 1994 0 1
 Canada Polar Knowledge Canada Member since 2022[4] 0 0
 Chile Instituto Antártico Chileno Founding Member 3 6
 China Chinese Arctic and Antarctic Administration and Polar Research Institute of China Founding Member 2 2
 Colombia Colombian Ocean Commission Observer 0 0
 Czech Republic Masaryk University Member 0 1
 Ecuador Instituto Oceanográfico y Antartico de la Armada Member 0 1
 Finland Finnish Antarctic Research Program at the Finnish Meteorological Institute Member 0 1
 France Institut Polaire Français Paul-Émile Victor Founding Member 2 0
 Germany Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research Founding Member 1 2
 India National Centre for Polar & Ocean Research Founding Member 0 2
 Italy Programma Nazionale Di Ricerche in Antartide Founding Member 1 1
 Japan National Institute of Polar Research (Japan) Founding Member 1 0
 Malaysia Sultan Mizan Antarctic Research Foundation Observer 0 0
 Netherlands Dutch Research Council Member 1 0
 New Zealand Antarctica New Zealand Founding Member 1 0
 Norway Norwegian Polar Institute Founding Member 1 0
 Peru Division of Antarctic Affairs Member 0 1
 Poland Poland Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, Polish Academy of Sciences Founding Member 1 0
 Portugal Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia Member since 2023[5] (Observer since 2015) 0 0
 Russia Arctic and Antarctic Research Institute and Russian Antarctic Expedition Founding Member 5 5
 South Africa South African National Antarctic Programme Founding Member 1 0
 South Korea Korea Polar Research Institute Founding Member 2 0
 Spain Comité Polar Español Founding Member 0 3
 Sweden Swedish Polar Research Secretariat Founding Member 0 1
  Switzerland Swiss Committee on Polar and High Altitude Research Observer 0 0
 Turkey TÜBITAK Marmara Research Center, Polar Research Institute Member 0 0
 Ukraine National Antarctic Scientific Center of Ukraine Member 1 0
 United Kingdom British Antarctic Survey Founding Member 2 1
 United States National Science Foundation Office of Polar Programs Founding Member 3 0
 Uruguay Uruguayan Antarctic Institute Member 1 1
 Venezuela Venezuelan Institute for Scientific Research Observer 0 0

See also

References

  1. ^ "Comnap - Home". www.comnap.aq. Archived from the original on 2015-02-20. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  2. ^ "ATS - The Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM)". www.ats.aq. Archived from the original on 2017-06-02. Retrieved 2017-09-20.
  3. ^ "Belarus becomes member of COMNAP National Antarctic Programs". BELARUS.BY. August 31, 2015.
  4. ^ "Outcomes of COMNAP Meeting". Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty. July 28, 2022.
  5. ^ "Outcomes of COMNAP Meeting". Secretariat of the Antarctic Treaty. July 4, 2023.

External links

  • COMNAP Web Site
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