International Centre for Terrestrial Antarctic Research

Director: Prof Craig Cary

The primary mission of the International Centre for Terrestrial Antarctic Research (ICTAR) is to promote the protection of Antarctica through integrated international research into Antarctic terrestrial ecosystems, assuring New Zealand's continued leadership in this area. ICTAR aims to provide the science that will underpin the conservation, protection, and management of terrestrial ecosystems of the Ross Sea region. Its innovative interdisciplinary approach will help elucidate the status of the present biodiversity, and to predict the effects of multiple impacts on ecosystems. The Centre will interact closely with end-users, in particular government agencies, to identify and protect the present biodiversity of the Ross Sea region, to confidently assist in the management of environmental impacts, such as climate change, and to be able to do this in the highest international forums. The interdisciplinary nature of the Centre draws in current and prospective research talent from both the Faculty of Science and Engineering (Biology and Earth and Ocean Sciences) and the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences (Geography). The Centre includes primary collaborators from Gateway Antarctica and the University of Canterbury, as well as researchers from more than nine countries.

For more information, visit the website: www.ictar.aq.