Framing conservation in the Anthropocene: global insights from inviolate areas in Antarctica

Inviolate areas represent a physical and conceptual manifestation of an approach to conservation based on protecting nature from people. Debates over inviolate areas in Antarctica offer useful insights into the values that underpin conservation in the Anthropocene. Antarctica is governed by an international treaty system that declares the continent to be a ‘natural reserve, devoted to peace and science’ and which requires consensus decision-making among a wide range of cultural and political views. Drawing on Antarctic governance and conservation scholarship, as well as the wider geographical and humanities literature, this article examines the contested interpretations and framings of inviolate areas in Antarctica. Starting with international debates over ‘Prohibited Zones’ in Belgium’s 2023 proposal for a new protected area, we trace historical and contemporary perspectives on inviolate areas in the Antarctic. We then propose four frames through which stakeholders might engage inviolate areas, each of which reflects a set of assumptions and values about how Antarctic conservation should be approached, ranging from increasing human presence to re-imagining the region as an autonomous, rights-bearing entity. We offer these frames as a heuristic device for those seeking new ways of navigating disagreement and achieving better conservation outcomes in Antarctica and beyond.