Catarina Frazão Santos in Sábado magazine: She's going to put Antarctica in order

MARE researcher Catarina Frazão Santos was interviewed by Sábado magazine and told us all about her project PLAnT - planning the sustainable use of the ocean in Antarctica.

At 13 million kilometres long, this icy continent absorbs more atmospheric carbon dioxide than any other ocean, making it essential in the fight against climate change. ‘Everything that happens in Antarctica has major repercussions worldwide,’ says Catarina Frazão Santos.

It is in this context that the PLAnT project arose, the first in the world to develop a marine spatial planning plan for the Antarctic region. ‘Marine spatial planning, quite simply, is a way of distributing the various uses of the sea over space and time. In other words, fishing, aquaculture, tourism and maritime transport,’ explains the MARE researcher,

According to Catarina, since the oceans are connected by sea currents, what we are seeing is that the Antarctic one is warming faster than the others combined. This phenomenon could have serious consequences, such as the decrease in krill, which serve as the main food for various species. For this reason, it is essential to protect these ecosystems, known as blue carbon areas due to their ability to capture and store carbon dioxide.

It was with this in mind that the MARE researcher applied for support from the European Research Council, winning a grant of 1.5 million euros for her project. Among the themes to be explored by Catarina Frazão Santos' team is tourism in Antarctica. The team will have ‘two people exclusively investigating the topic’ since, as in any tourist area, there are ‘environmental impacts that are associated, whether it's pollution or disregard for protected areas. And in Antarctica we can't afford that,’ says the researcher.

The conclusions drawn from the PLAnT project, which ends in 2029, will be important for knowing how best to organise maritime space in a sustainable and climate-smart way. In addition, the project will have applications for other countries with coastal zones, such as Portugal.

‘We won't have long-term development without nature conservation. We have to fight the myth that conservation and development don't go hand in hand,’ concludes Catarina Frazão Santos.

To read the article in Sábado magazine click HERE