Antarctic Treaty Act 1967

1 Conservation of Antarctic fauna and flora.

(1) On and after the appointed day, no person to whom this section applies, while he is in any part of Antarctica, shall, except as permitted by or Under this Act,—

(a) wilfully kill, injure, molest or take any native mammal or native bird, or

(b) gather any native plant within a specially protected area, or drive any vehicle within such an area.

(2) On and after the appointed day, no person to whom this section applies shall, except as permitted by or under this Act, bring into any part of Antarctica any animal or plant of a species which is not indigenous to Antarctica.

(3) Subject to the next following subsection, this section applies to any person who is for the time being—

(a) a citizen of the United Kingdom and Colonies, or

(b) a British subject by virtue of section 2 of the [1948 c. 56.] British Nationality Act 1948 (continuance of certain citizens of Eire as British subjects), or

(c) a British subject without citizenship by virtue of section 13 or section 16 of that Act (which relate respectively to British subjects whose citizenship had not been ascertained at the commencement of that Act and to persons who had ceased to be British subjects on loss of British nationality by a parent), or

(d) a British subject by virtue of the [1965 c. 34.] British Nationality Act 1965, or

(e) a British protected person (within the meaning of the [1948 c. 56.] British Nationality Act 1948),

and to any person who (not being such a person as is mentioned in any of paragraphs (a) to (e) of this subsection) is for the time being the owner or master or a member of the crew of a British ship registered in the United Kingdom.

(4) Notwithstanding anything in the last preceding subsection, this section does not apply to a person who, being also a national of one of the other Contracting Parties, has been designated by or on behalf of that Contracting Party as an observer, or is an exchanged scientist made available by that Contracting Party, or is a member of the staff accompanying an observer so designated or such an exchanged scientist, while he is in any part of Antarctica for the purpose of exercising his functions as such an observer or exchanged scientist or as a member of such a staff.

(5) Any person who does, or attempts to do, anything in contravention of this section shall be guilty of an offence.