Environment Protection Seminar
Online Training "Environmental Protection in Antarctica"
The provisions of the German "Law for the Implementation of the Environmental Protection Protocol to the Antarctic Treaty" (see https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/antarktumwschprotag/AntarktUmwSchProtAG.pdf) require that every expedition participant traveling to the Antarctic Treaty area (south of 60°S) with a German permit must have sufficient knowledge of environmental protection in Antarctica and the provisions of the law. For this reason, the Alfred Wegener Institute, in cooperation with the Federal Environment Agency, has held from 1998 to 2024 a full-day seminar "Environmental Protection in Antarctica" once a year before the start of the Antarctic summer season.
From June 2025 onwards, this seminar will be replaced by an online training. This online training (just as the seminar was) is mandatory for everyone traveling to Antarctica with a German permit. Successful participation in the online training will be confirmed with a certificate valid for life. Certificates of participation in previous seminars remain valid for life.
Please keep your certificate safe and bring a copy with you to Antarctica so you can present it upon request. Anyone traveling to Antarctica without appropriate training does not meet the legal requirements to participate in an Antarctic expedition.
Persons participating in an Antarctic expedition with a foreign permit are exempt from participation in the online training. They must attend a similar training course in their home country (depending on national law).
A brief instruction manual and a link to the online training are available on the right. Please read the manual carefully. The online training takes approximately one hour. You can choose whether you want to conduct the training in German or English by clicking on the flag symbol. At the end of the training, you will be asked 15 multiple-choice questions about the content of the training, which you have to answer correctly (see also information in the instruction manual).
After successfully completing the online training, please print a provisional certificate. This may take a few seconds (see also the instruction manual).
Important: Please save this provisional certificate and then email it to Umweltschutz-Unterweisung-Antarktis@awi.de. You will then receive the official, signed and lifelong participation certificate as a PDF.
IMPORTANT: It is recommended that you watch the MS PowerPoint presentation "Lebensraum Antarktis" (available in German only) before attending the online training. This presentation provides an overview of the history of Antarctica, its ecosystems and the diverse scientific research being conducted in the Southern Ocean and Antarctica.
The presentation "Lebensraum Antarktis" takes approximately one hour to watch.
You are welcome to provide feedback on the online course "Environmental Protection in Antarctica" via the feedback button at the end of the training and/or send questions and comments to the above email address. We would also welcome comments and suggestions for improvement regarding the presentation "Lebensraum Antarktis."