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Mawson’s views on use of natural resources in the Antarctic and sub-Antarctic

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 August 2021

Peter D. Shaughnessy Open the ORCID record for Peter D. Shaughnessy [Opens in a new window]  and
Mark Pharaoh
Peter D. Shaughnessy*
Affiliation:
Mammal Section, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, Australia
Mark Pharaoh
Affiliation:
Polar Centre, South Australian Museum, Adelaide, Australia
*
Author for correspondence: Peter D. Shaughnessy, Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Sir Douglas Mawson is a well-known Antarctic explorer and scientist. Early in his career, he recognised opportunities for commerce in Antarctic and sub-Antarctic regions. While at Cape Denison, Antarctica, in 1913 on the Australasian Antarctic Expedition (AAE), the Adelie Blizzard magazine was produced. Mawson contributed articles about Antarctic natural resources and their possible use. Later, he advocated Australia be involved in pelagic whaling. He collected seal skins and oil for their commercial value to be assessed by the Hudson’s Bay Company. During the AAE, Mawson visited Macquarie Island where an oiling gang was killing southern elephant seals and royal penguins. Mawson was concerned that they were over-exploited and lobbied successfully to stop the killing. His plans for Macquarie Island included a wildlife sanctuary, with a party to supervise access, send meteorological observations to Australia and New Zealand, and be self-funded by harvesting elephant seals and penguins. Macquarie Island was declared a sanctuary in 1933. Although Mawson has been recognised as an early proponent of conservation, his views on conservation of living natural resources were inconsistent. They should be placed in their historical context: in the early twentieth century, utilisation of living natural resources was viewed more favourably than currently.

Keywords

Australasian Antarctic ExpeditionAdelie Blizzard magazinepelagic whalingharvesting and conservationsouthern elephant sealsroyal penguinsMacquarie IslandJoseph Hatch
Type
Research Article
Information
Polar Record , Volume 57 , 2021 , e31
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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