environment
‘The Antarctic is the last frontier’: the quest to save Shackleton’s Endurance
Amid fears the wreck will be more accessible to explorers – and new species – as the climate warms, conservationists want to create the region’s first underwater protected area
TL;DR
- Conservationists want to create Antarctica's first underwater protected area around the wreck of the ship Endurance.
- Fears are growing that climate change will make the wreck more accessible to explorers and potentially introduce new species.
- The harsh conditions of the Weddell Sea preserved the Endurance wreck for over a century.
- Unique species, including potentially new wood-eating crustaceans, have been discovered living on the wreck.
- The UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT) leads the proposal, which has received support from various countries.
- The proposal needs final approval from the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).