On 4 October 1991, in Madrid, the parties to the Antarctic Treaty sign the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (Madrid Protocol), designating Antarctica as a “natural reserve, devoted to peace and science.”

The Protocol bans mineral resource activities on the continent (except scientific research), introduces environmental impact assessments, and creates the Committee for Environmental Protection. It completes the 1959 Antarctic Treaty System.

It entered into force on 14 January 1998 after ratification by all Consultative Parties. It remains the central legal framework for Antarctic environmental protection.

The official text is published by the Antarctic Treaty Secretariat and on the UNTS.

For Antarctic law, 4 October 1991 marks the Madrid signature.

The document is available on the ATS / UNTS sites.

The Madrid Protocol of 4 October 1991 remains the milestone of environmental protection in Antarctica.

Image: Antarctica / Madrid; Wikimedia Commons. Cropped to 16:9.

Source consulted: Madrid Protocol. Treaty text: ATS — Madrid Protocol.