The Council of Managers of National Antarctic Programs (COMNAP)
About COMNAP
We are an international association, formed in 1988, which brings together our Members - the governmental National Antarctic Programs. Those programs are the organizations that have the responsibility for delivering and supporting scientific research in the Antarctic Treaty Area on behalf of their respective governments and in the spirit of the Antarctic Treaty.
Our Projects
As an organization, we facilitate and lead a range of COMNAP projects that support our Membership, that engage the public, and which ensure we are providing best practice advice to the Antarctic community. Over the past 35 years, we have convened a range of workshops, symposiums and forums to focus on key issues and to share expertise.
Our Expert Groups
COMNAP Member National Antarctic Programs’ people have expertise related to a range of Antarctic topics: air operations, science facilitation, health & safety, environmental management & protection, to name only a few. A fundamental aspect of our organization is to support the free exchange of information between these experts. This is done through our Expert Groups.
Our Publications
Over the years, we have worked with our Membership and the wider Antarctic community to produce a range of informative brochures, booklets, books and even the Antarctic Station game. Some of our publications provide guidance to our Members on things like waste management, critical technologies, preventing the introduction of non-native species into the Antarctic environment and how to respond to oil spills. One of our most significant publications celebrated the 25th anniversary of COMNAP.
News & Events
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ATCM & CEP Meetings to begin in India
17 May 2024
The 46th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM) and the 26th Meeting of the Committee for Environmental Protection (CEP) will convene in Kochin, India, 20-30 May 2024.
COMNAP’s delegation is Andrea Colombo for the CEP and Michelle FInnemore for the ATCM. As a permanent Observer to the meetings, COMNAP has submitted four Working Papers, three Information Papers and two Background Papers, and is co-submitter of an additional four papers.
On the margins of those two meetings the COMNAP EXCOM will meet, and, in addition, there will be a meeting of the COMNAP & SCAR EXCOMs.
Further information on the ATCM 46 and CEP 26 can be found here.
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Registration for COMNAP AGM 36 (2024) is now OPEN
15 April 2024
Registration is now open for the COMNAP AGM (2024) and associated meetings and events (Members only). The COMNAP AGM 36 (2024) will be convened as an in-person meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from Wednesday 14 August through Friday 16 August 2024.
To participate in any of the meetings, registration before the deadline of Monday 1 July 2024 is required.
The meeting and associated events are open only to Members, Observers and Invited Experts.
For more information visit the AGM webpage.
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Air Operations in Antarctica
15 March 2024
The current version of the COMNAP Antarctic Flight Information Manual (AFIM) 23-04 (15 March 2024) is now available for COMNAP Members from the Members’ Only webpage.
If you are deploying an RPAS in Antarctica this season, please refer to the updated COMNAP RPAS Operators Handbook (18 December 2023).
For additional information on AFIM and to download the COMNAP RPAS Operators Handbook, please visit https://www.comnap.aq/air-operations.
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Are you the next COMNAP Early-Career Awardee?
5 March 2024
Antarctic organisations are calling on early-career researchers and scientists to apply for this year’s Antarctic Fellowship and Scholarship.
The awards, granted annually by COMNAP, IAATO, SCAR and CCAMLR, are an investment in the professional development of talented early-career researchers, scientists, engineers, environmental managers, and other professionals, and aim to strengthen international capacity and cooperation in the spirit of the Antarctic Treaty.
The deadline to submit your application is 31 May 2024. To know more click here.