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Veröffentlichung German Tourism Activities in the Antarctic Area(2013) Herata, Heike; Krakau, ManuelaThe interrelationship between tourism development and polar environmentsbecame a hot topic in the last decades. Since climatic changes lead toaltered ecosystems including the alteration of species, composition in areas withprevious icy and hostile conditions, especially the use of polar landscapes, cameinto touristic focus. However, the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica has beenan exceptional destination to experience nature and follow the path of adventurerssince its discovery. To fulfill the Protocol on Environmental Protection to theAntarctic Treaty (Environmental Protocol) with the aim to protect the Antarcticarea as well as possible, the procedure of granting a permit for tourism activitiesis well developed in German legislation. For decades, Germans have accountedfor more than 10% of all tourists enjoying the special landscape during a cruiseto Antarctic coasts. This puts them in the top 3 of the world together with Americanand British tourists. Since 2000, the German Federal EnvironmentAgency recordedinformation on German tourist activities in the area of Antarctica from yearly postvisitreports. These data may support discussions on possible steps toward requiredregulations for polar tourism in the near future. Some aspects of land-based tourismon the Antarctic continent, and especially on the Antarctic Peninsula and islandsnearby, are highlighted with regard to the potential consequences within the frameof environmental protection and climate change. Due to the lack of knowledgewhich impedes thoroughly environmental assessments for all touristic activities,the German Federal Environment Agency aims to encourage research and politicalinstitutions to support the development of a concept of sustainable tourism for theAntarctic Treaty area.Quelle: German Tourism Activities in the AntarcticArea: A Governmental Perspective. In: New Issues in Polar Tourism: Communities,Environments, Politics. Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2013Veröffentlichung Managing the effects of noise from ship traffic, seismic surveying and construction on marine mammals in Antarctica(2019) Erbe, Christine; Dähne, Michael; Gordon, Jonathan; Herata, Heike; Müller, MirjamThe Protocol on Environmental Protection of the Antarctic Treaty stipulates that the protection of the Antarctic environment and associated ecosystems be considered in the planning and conducting of all activities in the Antarctic Treaty area. One of the key pollutants created by human activities in the Antarctic is noise, primarily caused by ship traffic (from tourism, fisheries, and research), but also by geophysical research (e.g., seismic surveys) and by research station support activities (including construction). Arguably, amongst the species most vulnerable to noise are marine mammals since they specialise in using sound for communication, navigation and foraging, and therefore have evolved the highest auditory sensitivity among marine organisms. Reported effects of noise on marine mammals in lower-latitude oceans include stress, behavioural changes such as avoidance, auditory masking, hearing threshold shifts, andâ€Ìin extreme casesâ€Ìdeath. Eight mysticete species, 10 odontocete species, and six pinniped species occur south of 60OS (i.e., in the Southern Ocean). For many of these, the Southern Ocean is a key area for foraging and reproduction. Yet, little is known about how these species are affected by noise. We review the current prevalence of anthropogenic noise and the distribution of marine mammals in the Southern Ocean, and the current research gaps that prevent us from accurately assessing noise impacts on Antarctic marine mammals. A questionnaire given to 29 international experts on marine mammals revealed a variety of research needs. Those that received the highest rankings were 1) improved data on abundance and distribution of Antarctic marine mammals, 2) hearing data for Antarctic marine mammals, in particular a mysticete audiogram, and 3) an assessment of the effectiveness of various noise mitigation options. The management need with the highest score was a refinement of noise exposure criteria. Environmental evaluations are a requirement before conducting activities in the Antarctic. Because of a lack of scientific data on impacts, requirements and noise thresholds often vary between countries that conduct these evaluations, leading to different standards across countries. Addressing the identified research needs will help to implement informed and reasonable thresholds for noise production in the Antarctic and help to protect the Antarctic environment. © 2019 Erbe, Dähne, Gordon, Herata, Houser, Koschinski, Leaper, McCauley, Miller, Müller, Murray, Oswald, Scholik-Schlomer, Schuster, van Opzeeland and Janik