code of conduct

From South Georgia Website

As a visitor, you are kindly requested to observe the following guidelines:

• Know your capabilities and also the dangers posed by South Georgia's environment, and act accordingly. Plan activities with safety in mind at all times.

• Take note of and act on, the advice and instructions from your leaders. Do not stray from the group.

• Be prepared for severe and changeable weather. Ensure that your equipment and clothing are of sufficient strength and quality to withstand Antarctic conditions. Remember that South Georgia's weather is unpredictable, so when ashore be prepared for the worst, however pleasant it may seem when setting out.

• Be aware of the location of the designated Specially Protected Areas and Sites of Special Scientific Interest. Entry into these areas is prohibited except by special permit.

• Do not walk on to glaciers or snowfields without proper equipment and experience. Surface conditions are constantly changing, particularly in the present period of glacial retreat.

• Avoid walking on fragile vegetation. A footprint on a moss bank may remain there a long time; trampling of vegetation, especially in wet and peaty soils, can cause significant erosion over time. Moss beds and the margins of streams and lakes are particularly fragile.

• Do not collect native plants.

• Always give animals the right-of-way.

• Be careful of the way in which you film or take photographs. Do not disturb plants or animals to get better pictures.

• Do not injure or kill reindeer, birds or other wildlife; or collect skulls, bones or eggs.

• Do not bring plants or animals ashore.

• Take back ALL rubbish, eg film wrappers, orange peel, tissues, paper, foil, to the ship. Rubbish takes a long time to break down, spoiling the natural appearance of the site and encouraging the presence of rats.

• Do not pollute lakes or streams.

• Do not remove, disturb or destroy any artifacts found at sealers' sites or in the whaling stations.

• Do not paint or engrave names or graffiti on rocks or buildings; or deface or vandalise any field huts or the buildings and other structures at the whaling stations.

• Do not enter emergency refuges (except in emergencies).

• Avoid marked sites where scientific experiments are going on and do not disturb any scientific equipment.

• Do not smoke where there might be a risk of starting a fire in buildings or in vegetation.