Stages of development in the Antarctic

Man's presence in the Antarctic continent falls into a number of periods or stages which are well defined in terms both of the nature of the activities undertaken and of the corresponding legal and political requirements for the organization of human work in this territory.

The first of these stages was that of discovery and geographical exploration, a period which has with considerable justification been termed the ‘heroic’ age of the development of the Antarctic; then came the stage of scientific research and, more recently, the stage of the utilization and exploration of the natural resources of the continent. The first of these stages is now largely completed, at least as far as exploration of the traditional type is concerned. The second, however, is at present in process of development, taking a number of different forms. Indeed, it can be seen that the original emphasis on pure research has been gradually supplanted by a different emphasis, even more closely linked to resources-related applications.

In the course of this development, the third of the stages mentioned has begun to emerge more clearly and can today be said to be the main topic of discussions on the Antarctic both between countries directly concerned in activities in that continent and within the scope of other forums of the international community.