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The British Antarctic Territory (BAT) is a UK Overseas Territory and is administered in London by staff in the Polar Regions Department of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The Government of the Territory has its own legislative framework and makes a range of legal and administrative appointments. 

The BAT Government also has an advisory body on Place-Names and operates four Post Offices. The BAT has no indigenous population and presence in the Territory is provided by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS). 

The Coronation of King Charles III. Due For Release 21st August 2023

On 6 May 2023, at the age of 73, King Charles III became the oldest monarch to be crowned in British history.

Prince Charles Philip Arthur George was born at Buckingham Palace on 14 November 1948 and became heir apparent (next in line to the throne) at the age of 3 in 1952. He was the first heir to see his mother crowned as Sovereign and went on to become the longest serving Prince of Wales.

He was also the first heir to the throne to earn a university degree. He studied archaeology and anthropology in his first year at the University of Cambridge, switching to history for the remainder of his degree. He also spent a term at the University College of Wales at Aberystwyth (April to June 1969) learning Welsh.

His Majesty obtained his RAF wings as Flight Lieutenant Wales in August 1971 and commanded HMS Bronington in 1976, while serving in the Royal Navy. 

As Prince of Wales, His Majesty became President or Patron of over 800 charities and initiatives including more than 20 charities that he established himself. Perhaps the most well-known of these is The Prince’s Trust which he started with his Navy severance pay of just over £7000 in 1976. The charity has now supported over one million young people.

He has been a champion of environmental issues for over 50 years, first speaking publicly about his concerns on pollution and plastics and their impact on the natural world in 1970.

His Majesty is an author and a keen painter; having had a watercolour displayed in the Royal Academy's 1987 summer exhibition, after it was submitted anonymously. In 1975, His Majesty became a member of the Magic Circle, and has been a keen equestrian throughout his life, playing polo until 2005.

Her Majesty the Queen Consort, Camilla Rosemary Shand, was born on 17 July 1947. The King and The Queen Consort married in a civil ceremony at the Guildhall in Windsor on 9 April 2005. Following her marriage to The King, The Queen Consort has become Patron or President of over 100 charities.

King Charles III succeeded to the Throne on 8 September 2022 upon the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, the longest-reigning British monarch. He was crowned on 6 May 2023 in Westminster Abbey, with The Queen Consort being crowned beside him. Westminster Abbey has been the setting for every Coronation since 1066, when William the Conqueror was crowned on Christmas Day. His Majesty was the 40th Sovereign to be crowned at Westminster Abbey. It was the first time since 1937 that the coronation included the crowning of a Queen Consort.

Whilst the setting for the Coronation has remained unchanged for nearly 1000 years, the form of the Coronation ceremony has varied slightly through the ages. The contemporary form dates from 1902, when King Edward VII was crowned. The main events of the day included a procession from Buckingham Palace (aboard the Diamond Jubilee State Coach) to Westminster Abbey, the Coronation

service itself, a procession back to Buckingham Palace, and an appearance by the King and Queen, with other members of the royal family, on the palace balcony for a flypast by the Royal Air Force.

The King was crowned in St Edward's Chair, made in 1300 for Edward I and used at every Coronation since that time. Equally steeped in history and tradition, the St. Edward's Crown, made in 1661 for the Coronation of Charles II and used at every coronation since, was placed on the head of The King. It weighs about 2.2kg, and is made of solid gold.

The King and Queen returned to Buckingham Palace in procession aboard The Gold State Coach, an enclosed eight-horse-drawn carriage used by the Royal Family on grand state occasions, such as coronations, royal weddings, and the jubilees of a monarch. It has been used at the coronation of every British monarch since George IV.

Inaugurated by Edward VII and Queen Alexandra in 1902, the finale of Coronation Day has been a balcony appearance from the new monarch and other members of the Royal Family. 

“We now rededicate our lives to serving the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and Commonwealth.” A Coronation message from His Majesty the King 8 May, 2023.

74p The Diamond Jubilee State Coach is accompanied by the Sovereign's Escort of the Household Cavalry in the King's Procession as it leaves Buckingham Palace for the Coronation ceremony of King Charles III and Queen Camilla. PA Images / Alamy.

80p King Charles III is crowned with St Edward's Crown during his Coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey. PA Images / Alamy.

£1.09 The King and Queen are carried in the Gold State Coach, pulled by eight Windsor Greys, in the Coronation Procession as they return along Whitehall to Buckingham Palace, following their Coronation ceremony. PA Images / Alamy.

£1.40 The King and Queen on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Coronation of King Charles III and Queen Camilla at Westminster Abbey. PA Images / Alamy.

£3 S/S King Charles III on the balcony of Buckingham Palace following the Coronation. PA Images / Alamy. The background shows King Charles III with the Sword of State during his Coronation ceremony in Westminster Abbey. PA Images / Alamy.

Technical details:

Designer Bee Design

Printer Cartor

Process Stochastic lithography

Perforation 13 ¼ x 13 ½ per 2cms

Stamp size 42 x 28mm

Sheet layout 10

Release date 21 August, 2023

Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

British Antarctic Territory: Frozen Planet II

Released March 13th 2023

In 2011, the BBC’s Frozen Planet gave viewers an unprecedented insight into life in the Poles. Now, 11 years later, Frozen Planet II returned to capture wildlife dramas playing out across all the world’s coldest regions: our high mountains, frozen deserts, snowbound forests, and ice-cold oceans. The series involved 2188 filming days across three years by small crews working in the most remote corners of our frozen worlds.

Filmed in ultra-high definition using the very latest camera technology, and featuring dramatic new behaviours, intimate stories, and sensational natural spectacles filmed for the very first time, this six-part series is a chance to experience the wonder of our planet’s frozen realms as they stand on the brink of major change.

As temperatures rise at an unprecedented rate our frozen planet is literally vanishing before our eyes. The series reveals the true impact on both wildlife and humans.

Frozen South (Episode 4), takes us to the most hostile ice world of all – Antarctica, an entire continent covered in snow and ice full of surprises. Here hardy animals cling around its coastal fringes. In the Frozen South, two key locations for filming were South Georgia and the Antarctic Peninsula.

On the Antarctic Peninsula the team used a drone to capture an entirely new perspective on the intricate coordination of wave washing that the killer whales use during their attacks. But the great revelation was how they are being forced to change their behaviour to adapt to new sources of prey.

The series also showed chinstrap penguins struggling to raise their chicks in a warming world. The chinstraps, filmed around Deception Island, used pebbles to make nests to keep their chicks off the water-logged ground. With increased meltwater and rainy conditions due to a warming Antarctica, chicks were found shivering with hypothermia.

The stunning images captured during the series, and recreated on this series of stamps share some of the cherished moments experienced by the film crew when on location filming for the series.

80p, £1.07,£1.45,£1.60 s/s £3.50

Technical Details:

Photography and copyright:-

Stamps

80p, £1.07, £1.45 Leigh Hickmott

£1.60 Abigail Lees

Sheet Borders

80p, £1.45 Leigh Hickmott

£1.07 Bertie Gregory

£1.60 Pete McCowen

S/S Leigh Hickmott

FDC Juliette Hennequin

Designer Andrew Robinson

Printer Cartor Security Printing

Process Stochastic lithography

Perforation 13 ¼ x 13 ½ per 2cms

Stamp size 42 x 28mm

Sheet Layout 4 within pictorial sheetlet

Souvenir Sheet size 94 x 64mm

Release date 13 March, 2023

Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd

BBC & FROZEN PLANET II Logos © BB

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

Airmail Postcard Rate Penguin, Released 25th January 2023

The British Antarctic Territory are pleased to announce the release of a beautiful new Airmail Postcard Rate stamp featuring an emperor penguin chick. This new addition to the 2018 Penguins and Chicks Definitive issue has been released to replenish stocks of the existing 2016 postcard rate coil stamps, which will shortly be exhausted. 

Wild emperor penguins are only found in Antarctica. They mostly breed and raise their young on floating platforms of frozen ocean which are connected to the land or to ice shelves. From birth, they spend their entire lives in and around the Antarctic ice.

Emperor penguins are the tallest and heaviest of all living penguin species, and are the only penguins that breed during the Antarctic winter. After a courtship of several weeks, a female emperor penguin lays one single egg and then leaves! The father balances the egg on his feet and covers it with his brood pouch, a very warm layer of feathered skin designed to keep the egg warm. The males stand like this for about 65 days, through icy temperatures, cruel winds, and blinding storms. Finally, the females return from the sea, bringing food which they regurgitate to feed the now hatched chicks. The mothers then take over the care of the chicks and the males eagerly head back to the sea for food.

The emperor penguin chicks are born completely covered with grey plumage. As they grow this is lost and they develop their familiar and mostly black and white adult plumage.

Technical details:

Photography: © Sue Flood

Printer Cartor

Process Stochastic lithography

Perforation 13 ½ x 13 ¼ per 2cms

Stamp size 25 x 36mm

Sheet Layout 10

Release date Expected Early 2023

Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 1926-2022, due for release 15th February 2023.

On 8 September 2022 Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms died peacefully at Balmoral Castle in Scotland. She will be sorely missed on both sides of the Atlantic and across the free world.

Everyone knew that this day would come but still her sudden passing at the age of 96 was a shock to the British nation, and particularly heart-breaking for the millions of Britons who had spent their entire lives in the second Elizabethan Age. For many in the United Kingdom and the UK Overseas Territories, a world without the Queen is simply unimaginable. Such was her constant presence in the hearts and minds of the British people since she ascended to the throne in 1952, when Winston Churchill was prime minister.

Until the age of 10, when her uncle Edward VIII abdicated and her father George VI reluctantly acceded to the throne, Princess Elizabeth had not expected to become Queen. However, she accepted her role and dedicated herself to a life of service. On her 21st birthday she was with her parents and younger sister on a tour of South Africa from where she made perhaps her most famous broadcast, welcoming the opportunity “to speak to all the peoples of the British Commonwealth and Empire, wherever they live, whatever race they come from, and whatever language they speak.” It is from this speech that the quotation that appears on the souvenir sheet has been taken. “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.” This was a profound personal commitment that defined her whole life.

Queen Elizabeth II was the last monarch to have known the British Empire and for most, the only monarch they had ever known. At the time of her coronation in 1953 she ruled over seven independent countries, which grew to 32 nations during her 70-year reign. Over the course of those 70 years, 15 British premierships and 14 U.S. presidencies, the Queen has been a unifying force and a titan on the world stage. She will be revered as one of the greatest leaders of the modern era, and her life of selfless duty and service has left the world a better place. Her leadership over seven decades has also left the British Monarchy in great health.

As we move forward with our new King, we cherish the memory of a truly great leader who lived her life for the sake of her nation with a tremendous sense of dedication, public service, and sacrifice. The Queen will continue to inspire future generations. She will be remembered as a monarch who admirably led her nation through decades of tremendous change on many fronts, from the end of Empire in the 1950s and 1960s through to the Brexit era of the 2020s.

She will be remembered for her calm dignity, her sense of both humour and duty. She brought the monarchy into the public eye with her first televised coronation, her broadcasts over the years and finally her funeral. She was a female head of state and a working mother when for many the ideal was to still be a housewife. She was always traditional, yet open to change. Her approach made her a role model to many women.

In the words of King Charles III during his first address to the Nation and the Commonwealth 9 September 2022: “Queen Elizabeth's was a life well lived; a promise with destiny kept and she is mourned most deeply in her passing. That promise of lifelong service I renew to you all today.”

£3 Queen Elizabeth II drove from Buckingham Palace in the Irish State Coach to perform the State opening of Parliament in the Chamber of the House of Lords 2 July 1970. © KEYSTONE Pictures USA/Alamy.

£3 Queen Elizabeth II at a State Banquet given in honour by French President Francois Hollande at the Elysee Palace, as part of the official ceremonies of the 70th Anniversary of the Liberation, on 6 June, 2014. Thierry Orban/ABACAPRESS/Alamy.

£6 Souvenir Sheet of both stamps with quote

FDC Queen Elizabeth II meeting artists who performed at the Royal Variety Performance in Blackpool 8 December 2009. Leon Neal/PA Images/Alamy.

Technical details:

Design Bee Design

Printer Cartor

Process Stochastic lithography

Perforation 13 x 13 ¼ per 2cms

Stamp size 30.6 x 38mm

Sheet layout 10

Souvenir Sheet size 110 x 75mm

Release date 15 February, 2023

Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

RRS Sir David Attenborough Maiden Voyage

Released December 2022 

The ship, once almost known as Boaty McBoatface, departed the UK in November 2021 officially entering Antarctica on 13 December, and arriving at the UK’s largest research facility on the continent, Rothera, on 17 December. During its eight months in Antarctica the ship’s first season saw it conduct science trials, transport people and cargo to four of the British Antarctic Survey’s research stations and complete its ice trials. The ship returned to the UK 14 June 2022.

Being a Polar Ice Class 5 ship, meaning it can operate year-round in medium first-year ice, the ship can break through ice one-metre thick at a speed of three knots (5.6km/h). When ice breaking, the ship rises up on the ice and uses its weight – 15,000 tonnes – to break through.

The ship’s sensitive acoustic instruments are housed within the hull and covered with a protective material to ensure they are protected when the ship is in ice. Other instruments, such as the farsounder forward-looking sonar, which warns of navigational hazards under the water (such as unchartered rocks), is fitted on a retractable pole and will only be deployed when the ship is not ice-breaking. The ship also has a moon pool – a four-by-four metre hole through the middle of the ship – through which researchers can deploy instruments, even when in ice.

Reflecting on the ship’s first journey South, Captain Will Whatley, Master of RRS Sir David Attenborough said: “Everyone on board was thrilled to arrive at Rothera for the first time. This was a really exciting and proud moment for us, and another huge milestone to have achieved. As we travelled further South, we had the chance to put the ship through its paces in Antarctic conditions – and I’m pleased to report the ship performed really well”.

On 22 November 2022 RRS Sir David Attenborough departed UK for its second voyage to Antarctica. During its second mission ‘south’ the floating laboratory will transfer station teams, food, science equipment, cargo and fuel to British Antarctic Survey’s (BAS) research stations. The ship will also be carrying out trials of polar science equipment in the extreme polar conditions, a critical step in the ship’s commissioning.

“With the world’s eyes on COP27 in Egypt, and climate change at the forefront of all our minds, we are reminded of the critical role this ship is going to play over the next three decades in improving our understanding of climate change and the impacts on our environment and society.” Professor Dame Jane Francis, Director of (BAS).

At a cost of £200 million, the ship was commissioned by the Natural Environment Research Council, built by Cammell Laird and is operated by the British Antarctic Survey (BAS).

70p, 80p, £1.07, £1.30

Technical details:

Photography:

70p Jamie Anderson, British Antarctic Survey

80p William Clark, British Antarctic Survey

£1.07 Jamie Anderson, British Antarctic Survey

£1.30 Jenna Plank, British Antarctic Survey

FDC Jenna Plank, British Antarctic Survey

Printer Cartor

Process Stochastic lithography

Perforation 13 ¼ x 13 ½ per 2cms

Stamp size 42 x 28mm

Sheet Layout 10

Release date Expected December, 2022

Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

Platinum Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II

Release Date 24th March 2022

On 6th February 2022 Her Majesty The Queen became the first British Monarch to celebrate a Platinum Jubilee, marking 70 years of service to the people of the United Kingdom, the Realms and the Commonwealth.

When she acceded to the throne she was just 25 years of age and enjoying a short break from royal duties with her husband of five years, Prince Philip. They were standing in for George VI, who was too ill to travel, on a long-planned international tour. Relaxing at the now famous Treetops Hotel, a game viewing lodge in Kenya, The Princess had spent the day filming elephants before retiring to her cabin high up in the trees.

As a fellow guest at Treetops later wrote in the visitors' log book. "For the first time in the history of the world, a young girl climbed into a tree one day a Princess and …… climbed down from the tree next day a Queen."

At the time, however, Elizabeth had no knowledge of the event that was to change her life. It fell to her husband, Prince Philip, to break the dreadful news of the death of her beloved father later in the day. The Queen immediately returned to the UK.

In 1952 The Queen assumed the role of Head of the Commonwealth from her late father, the first to hold the title. The Commonwealth was then an association of just 8 members. Today there are 53. Her Majesty has always attached considerable importance to this role and at the time of her accession said: “The Commonwealth bears no resemblance to the empires of the past. It is an entirely new conception built on the highest qualities of the spirit of man: friendship, loyalty, and the desire for freedom and peace. To that new conception of an equal partnership of nations and races I shall give myself heart and soul every day of my life.” Indeed, her reign commenced with her longest ever Commonwealth tour, lasting from November 1953 to May 1954.

Since acceding to the throne, Her Majesty has gone on to reign longer than any other British Monarch in history, a title she has held since 2015. The previous record-holder, Queen Victoria – who died at age 81, had been monarch for nearly 64 years.

The seven decades of her reign have seen extraordinary social and technological progress and The Queen has become a much respected and beloved figure around the world. 

In her Platinum Jubilee message Her Majesty marked the anniversary by renewing the pledge that she gave in 1947, “that my life will always be devoted to your service”.

This unprecedented anniversary is celebrated on a special stamp series released by the Bahamas and the Overseas Territories of Ascension Island, the British Antarctic Territory, Falkland Islands, South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands and Tristan da Cunha.

£2 Queen Elizabeth II at a reception in October 1969 at the Grosvenor House Hotel, Park Lane, London. PA Images / Alamy

£2 Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to the headquarters of MI5 at Thames House in London. PA Images / Alamy

S/S A Royal Command Portrait by Baron on 4 April 1953. The Queen is wearing a pale pink evening gown with the blue Ribbon and Star of the Garter. This portrait was taken in the Green Drawing Room at Buckingham Palace. Keystone Press / Alamy

Technical details:

Design Bee Design

Printer Cartor

Process Stochastic lithography

Perforation 13 ¼ x 13 per 2cms

Stamp size 38 x 30.6mm

Sheet layout 10

Souvenir Sheet size 55 x 90mm

Souvenir Sheet stamp 29 x 48mm

Souvenir Sheet Perforation 13 x 13 ¼ per 2cms

Release date 24 March, 2022

Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

Centenary of the Death of Sir Ernest Shackleton - January 2022 

The British Antarctic Territory, Falkland Islands and South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands have joined together to commemorate the centenary of the death of the great polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922). Shackleton rose to fame in 1915 when his vessel, the Endurance, became trapped in pack ice and sank. Against all the odds, Shackleton succeeded in getting all his men back to safety, a tale of resolve and selfless leadership that is celebrated as one of the greatest stories of human endeavour.

Shackleton led three major expeditions during what is now known as the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration. His first journey south was in 1901, on the Antarctic expedition ship Discovery. Led by British naval officer Robert Falcon Scott, Shackleton and Edward Wilson trekked towards the pursuit for the South Pole in extremely difficult conditions. They got closer to the Pole than anyone previously.

In 1908, Shackleton returned to the Antarctic as the leader of his own expedition, on the ship Nimrod. They made many important scientific and geographical discoveries and set a new record by getting even closer to the South Pole. He was knighted on his return to Britain. The race for the South Pole ended in 1911 with Amundsen’s conquest and in 1914 Shackleton made his third, now well-known expedition, with the ship Endurance.

In 1921, Shackleton returned to the sub-Antarctic on the Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition. More commonly known as the Quest expedition, it was to be Shackleton’s fourth and final expedition. Large crowds gathered as the ship, Quest, left St Katherine Docks in London on 17 September 1921, with a crew comprising eight shipmates from the famous Endurance Expedition, keen to return to southern waters.

After arriving at the quiet waters of King Edward Cove in South Georgia, Shackleton unexpectedly died in the early hours of the morning of the 5th January 1922.

His final diary entry reads:

‘A wonderful evening. In the darkening twilight I saw a lone star hover, gem-like above the bay.’

Shackleton was buried on the 5 of March at the whaling station, Grytviken, a ceremony attended by the managers of the five stations on South Georgia and a hundred whalers and seamen.

A hiatus followed the return of Quest, with no significant expeditions to the Antarctic for another seven years. The Shackleton-Rowett Antarctic Expedition is remembered for the untimely death of its leader but also the end of the Heroic Age of Antarctic Exploration.

South Georgia was a fitting location for the end of a heroic story. Shackleton’s sudden death created a dramatic, if premature, finale. His death caused an outpouring of grief throughout the world with a sense of loss that still resonates today. Many visitors

make the pilgrimage to South Georgia to visit the last resting place of Shackleton and toast “The Boss” .

The Quest ship doctor, Alexander Macklin recorded in his diary, ‘I think this is as the boss would have had it himself, standing lonely on an island far from civilization, surrounded by a stormy tempestuous sea, and in the vicinity of one of his greatest exploits.’

A century after his death his fame continues, yet his popularity is a relatively modern phenomenon. From the 1980s onwards various biographies and historic accounts of the polar expeditions saw Shackleton catapulted to stardom, something that was fleeting in his lifetime.

The events of the Endurance Expedition drew a new generation of followers seeking inspiration from the epic adventure and from Shackleton’s leadership style. Shackleton’s ability to overcome adversity, retain the loyalty of his men, and his extraordinary and ultimately successful efforts to rescue his Endurance crewmates still inspires people today.

The story of the Endurance Expedition has become legendary. His decision-making and guidance under pressure is celebrated in books, management courses, films, television and memorials today. A portrait of him by Reginald Grenville Eves hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, London. Statues and busts of Shackleton can be seen outside of the Royal Geographical Society, London, at Athy, his birthplace in Ireland, and in the Church at Grytviken, South Georgia where he died.

In his own lifetime Sir Ernest Shackleton had won world renown as an intrepid Antarctic explorer. One hundred years later, tales of the explorer still capture the imagination and the enduring qualities that made Shackleton such a revered figure in polar world history ensure his continued appeal. As Apsley Cherry-Garrard, of Scott’s last expedition, wrote shortly after Shackleton’s death:

‘If I am in a devil of a hole and want to get out of it give me Shackleton every time.’

Fittingly the Shackleton family’s motto reads ‘Fortitudine vincimus’. By endurance we conquer.

Text provided by Jayne Pierce, South Georgia Museum.

Technical Details:

Design Andrew Robinson

Printer Cartor

Process Stochastic lithography

Perforation 13 x 13 ¼ per 2cms

Stamp size 30.6 x 38mm

Sheet layout 10

Release date 5 January, 2022

Production Coordination Creative Direction (Worldwide) Ltd

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

Final Voyage of the RRS James Clark Ross - November 2021 

The RRS James Clark Ross was named after Admiral Sir James Clark Ross, R.N. The vessel can steam at a steady two knots through level sea ice one metre thick. To assist passage through heavy pack ice, a compressed air system rolls the ship from side to side freeing the passage.

Her 30 years of service came at a time when the world is increasingly seeking answers to questions about the impacts of climate change, warming seas and ocean acidification. In her three decades of service she has seen some extraordinary achievements in all of these areas.

RRS James Clark Ross has provided a world leading floating platform for biological, oceanographic and geophysical research. She contained some of Britain’s most advanced facilities for oceanographic research in both Antarctica and the Arctic.

Professor Dame Jane Francis, Director of BAS said “The RRS James Clark Ross has been more than a workplace to her crew and those who sailed on her, it has been a home. As we look forward to a new era with the RRS Sir David Attenborough, the JCR joins the fleet of former BAS research ships that helped change the way we understand our world.”

The RRS James Clark Ross will be replaced with the RRS Sir David Attenborough and has been sold to the Ukrainian National Antarctic Scientific Centre. She has been renamed Noosfera and will continue to carry out important scientific investigations in the polar regions.

68p, 78p, £1.04, £1.26

30th Anniversary of the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty - November 2021

The Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty (Environmental Protocol) was signed in Madrid on 4 October 1991 and entered into force in 1998. This year marks the 30th Anniversary of the signing of the Environmental Protocol, which provides a comprehensive framework for the protection of the Antarctic environment.

This unique international agreement protects the Antarctic environment and designates Antarctica as a natural reserve, devoted to peace and science. It prohibits mining and mineral resource activities in the Antarctic Treaty area except for scientific research purposes. Its six Annexes put in place measures for the protection of the Antarctic environment, including for the effective assessment of any environmental impact, the conservation of Antarctic fauna and flora and the protection and management of areas deemed to be of outstanding environmental, scientific, or historic value.

66p Protecting Historic Sites - Bransfield House

Following a conservation survey in 1994, British ‘Base A’ – Port Lockroy was recognised for its historical importance and designated as Historic Site and Monument No. 61 under the Antarctic Treaty. In 1996 a team from the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), funded by the UK Antarctic Heritage Trust (UKAHT), renovated the buildings and since then the site has been open to visitors during the Antarctic summer (November to March).

Managed by the UKAHT as a ‘living museum’ it includes a small gift shop and the UK’s most southerly public Post Office – affectionately known as the Penguin Post Office. All profit from the shop proceeds goes towards renovation of other historic sites in Antarctica.

78p Protecting Wildlife - Emperor Penguin

The emperor penguin is the giant of the penguin world, reaching 122cm in height and weighing from 22 to 45kg. Endemic to Antarctica, Emperors are rarely seen in subantarctic waters.

The diet of an emperor penguin consists primarily of fish, krill and squid. An emperor penguin can remain submerged for up to 18 minutes and they are able to dive to a depth of 535 m. The emperor penguin is also the only penguin species that breeds during the Antarctic winter trekking 50 – 120 km over the ice to breeding colonies. The female lays a single egg which is incubated by the male while the female returns to the sea to feed. Parents take turns foraging at sea and caring for their chick. The lifespan of an emperor penguin is typically 20 years. Although they have a high survival rate compared to other penguins, with an average of 95% surviving the year, emperors are the least common Antarctic penguin, with only about 200,000 breeding pairs.

£1.26 Conducting Science – Twin Otter

The de Havilland Twin Otter aircraft is a high wing, twin engine, turboprop aircraft capable of carrying up to twenty passengers in the commuter role.

The version operated by the BAS is the wheel/ski equipped aircraft which has the capability to land on snow and ice or hard runways. These rugged aircraft are the backbone of the BAS Antarctic operations. They carry the scientists out into their field locations, they resupply them or move them during the season, and then recover the party to Rothera or Halley stations at the completion of their projects. They also carry airborne surveying equipment and can also provide an Antarctic search and rescue capability.

£1.40 Protecting Antarctica’s Wilderness – Wiencke Island

In much of the Antarctic region, a continent of 14 million km2 surrounded by the vast Southern Ocean, there is no or little evidence of past or present human activity. The notion of Antarctica as a wilderness is enshrined in the Environmental Protocol through commitments to protect Antarctica’s wilderness values.

British Antarctic Territory: The Blue Belt Programme - November 2021

The UK Overseas Territories (OTs) are home to globally significant biodiversity. The UK Blue Belt Programme recognises this, and since 2016 has worked with the Governments of these Territories to enhance the protection of these precious marine environments.

The Blue Belt enhances marine protection by supporting work in five key areas:

● understanding and protecting biodiversity

● strengthening governance

● managing human impacts

● supporting sustainable fisheries management

● supporting compliance and enforcement 

The Blue Belt Programme helps UK OTs and the UK work together to improve understanding of the effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and how to improve them. This work is supported by two world leading organisations – the Centre for Environment Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) and the Marine Management Organisation (MMO).

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The waters around the British Antarctic Territory are amongst the most productive in the Southern Ocean, supporting large populations of krill, which feed larger predators, like baleen whales, penguins and seals. The Blue Belt Programme supports scientific understanding of the British Antarctic Territory, which is vital in developing climate-smart management. The programme has contributed valuable data to the management processes of the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), which is responsible for marine protection and fisheries management around Antarctica. Through the development of sophisticated surveillance methods, we are better able to assess, and deter, the threat of illegal, unregulated and unreported fishing across the Southern Ocean.

These stamps highlight and celebrate some of the key elements of the Blue Belt Programme around the British Antarctic Territory.

68p - Krill

Krill is an important food source for many Antarctic predators. As part of the krill fishery management, their population status and foraging habits are continually monitored and management steps taken to reduce competition. The UK works in CCAMLR to ensure krill populations are conserved.

78p - Tourism

All human activity in Antarctica is carefully planned to enable well-managed, environmentally sensitive tourism alongside scientific endeavour and exploration.

£1.25 – Leopard Seal

The British Antarctic Territory works to protect the Southern Ocean and the multitude of animals that depend on it for food. Leopard seals, named after their leopard-like spots, are fearsome predators. They are the largest of the true Antarctic seals and the only seals which eat other seals.

£1.35 – Brittlestar

Improving understanding of biodiversity is a key objective of the Blue Belt Programme. More than 6,000 different species have been identified living on the floor of the Southern Ocean and more than half are unique to Antarctica. One of these is the Astrohamma tuberculatum, a type of Antarctic brittlestar or snake star.

Technical Details

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

95th Birthday of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II - April 2021

On her twenty-first birthday, 21 April 1947, Princess Elizabeth was with her parents and younger sister, Princess Margaret, on a tour of South Africa. In a speech broadcast on the radio from Cape Town, the Princess dedicated her life to the service of the Commonwealth. The theme of the stamp issue, “Devoted to your service”, is taken from that speech: “I declare before you all that my whole life whether it be long or short shall be devoted to your service and the service of our great imperial family to which we all belong.”

This special issue is a collaboration between 11 postal administrations which sees the three Crown Dependencies, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man, join The Bahamas and seven UK Overseas Territories, Ascension Island, British Antarctic Territory, British Virgin Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands, and Tristan da Cunha to mark the birthday of the world’s longest reigning monarch.

Stamps

• 53p Princess. The Princess Elizabeth is pictured holding a corgi in the grounds of Windsor Castle, 30 May 1944. (Photo by Lisa Sheridan/Studio Lisa/Getty Images).

• 68p Coronation. A portrait of Queen Elizabeth II, circa mid-1950's. (Photo by: Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images).

• 78p Marriage. The Queen and Prince Philip say farewell to the Italian President and his wife as they depart Buckingham Palace at the end of their State Visit on March 17, 2005. (Photo by Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images).

• £1.04 Leisure. The Queen sitting on rocks beside a waterfall on the Garbh Allt Burn with a corgi on her lap. The photograph was taken on the Estate at Balmoral Castle, Scotland during the Royal Family's annual summer holiday in September 1971 and was part of a series of photographs taken for use during the Silver Wedding Celebrations in 1972. (Photo by Lichfield Archive via Getty Images).

• £1.26 Pageantry. During the 1954 Royal Tour of Australia, Queen Elizabeth II is pictured leaving the State Opening of Parliament at Parliament House, Hobart. (Photo by Popperfoto via Getty Images/Getty Images).

• £1.35 Royal Duty. The Queen laughs as she is taken on a tour of the Carole Brown Health Centre in Dersingham, Norfolk in February 2009. (Photo by Chris Jackson/PA Archive/PA Images).

• The FDC features two images of Her Majesty; a contemporary picture of the Queen who is fondly known throughout the world and a beautiful portrait, circa 1929, of the young Princess Elizabeth before it was realised that she would be acceding to the throne. (Photos via Getty Images).

STAMP ITEM NUMBERS

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