Anyone planning to visit the Antarctic or subantarctic should be aware of relevant national and state environmental protection measures. On the AAD website can be found information about permit and environmental protection requirements under Australian law. The information is mainly for research scientists, but also informs non-government visitors of their obligations.
Activities needing a permit include entering a protected area or the Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands, using a helicopter, disturbing seabirds or marine mammals, interfering with listed species, collecting or sampling biological and geological specimens, using weapons and importing and exporting specimens. Some permits cannot be granted unless the activity has been subject to an environmental impacts assessment (EIA) and authorised.
The web-based information complements other related Commonwealth and State departmental websites such as Environment Australia, Australian Quarantine Inspection Service and Tasmanian Parks & Wildlife Service (who manages visits to subantarctic Macquarie Island). Links to these related websites have been provided.