China, Italy and the Republic of Korea jointly propose at the next ATCM meeting (Prague, July 2019), the designation of a new Antarctic Specially Protected Area (ASPA) at Inexpressible Island and Seaview Bay, Ross Sea.

The proponents are involved in the preparation of the draft ASPA Management Plan and maps, in accordance with the requirements of Annex V to the Protocol and the Guide to the Preparation of Management Plans for Antarctic Specially Protected Areas -Resolution 2 (2011) for consideration by the CEP.

The proposed area is located in the eastern central part of Inexpressible Island, including the Seaview Bay and the northern part of the South Bay.

The total area of the proposed ASPA is 3.31 km2, of which 2.32 km2 is terrestrial and 0.99 km2 is marine area.

Values in need of special protection

Presence of an important Adélie penguin colony ( ̴̴̴̴̴̴̴̴̴ 25,000 pairs), (monitored since 1963).

South Polar Skua nests ( ̴̴̴̴̴̴̴̴̴ 1/100 of the global population of the species)

Several fresh-water lakes

Presence of the TNB polynya that constitutes an easier foraging access between breeding colonies and sea (the area is ice-free from most of the year)

Long-term population monitoring will provide support for studying the dynamics of breeding penguin populations, and the relationship between populations and climate change.

The longest continuous occupation breeding colony of Adélie penguin in Ross Sea area (7,000 years) , and the cryopreserved subfossil bone samples would provide a rich and unique DNA sample library for studying the historical dynamics, climate change and molecular evolution on the geologic scale.

Lakes provide references for the comparative limnetic ecological study.

The marine part of proposed ASPA is the access area for individuals of penguin colony to foraging grounds (Kim, J.-H. et al., unpublished data)

The marine portion includes the shallow water (less than 50 meters depth). Preliminary surveys on the benthic communities through underwater cameras indicate a rich macroalgaecoverage consisting mainly of Iridaea cordata (5-10 meters depth). Some animal organisms were observed during the survey. These include the two small-size fish species Trematomusbernacchii and T. pennellii, the sea star Odontaster validus and amphipods possibly belonging to the family Lysianassidae.

Procedures so far undertaken

Preliminary presentation of ASPA proposal at ATCM 2018 (Buenos Aires)

Activity for the preparation of the draft Management Plan:

-First workshop in Xiamen (China) in October 2018 with the participation of China, Italy, Korea and NZ

-Second workshop in Rome (Italy) in April 2019 between China, Italy, Korea and NZ, USA (Germany provided opinions).

It was decided that China, Italy and Korea are the co-proponents of the ASPA.

Due the marine area of the proposed ASPA, the draft management plan will submit to CCAMLR. According to the procedure of CCAMLR, the proposal needs to be discussed first by the WG-EMM..

In considering the proposed ASPA at Inexpressible Island, the Working Group noted that this area contains a distinctive ecosystem hosting one of the oldest known colonies of Adéliepenguins and an important breeding site for South Polar skuas, and is listed as an Important Bird Area (IBA). The area is adjacent to the Terra Nova Bay polynya, and is a reference site allowing comparison with nearby areas for studies on the effect of sea ice dynamics on the ecosystem. The marine component of the proposed ASPA extends less than 1 km from the coast, and does not exceed 50 m in depth.

The Working Group noted the importance of the unique ecosystem at Inexpressible Island for ongoing, comparative scientific research. Further noting that this is not an area of interest for harvesting activities, it recommended approval of the draft management plan for a new ASPA in this area by the Scientific Committee.