Sustainable Conservation Solutions in a Hostile Environment: The Historic Huts of Antarctica

Since 2003 the four surviving Ross Sea huts of the Heroic Era (1899 –1917) of Antarctic exploration have been the subject of a major programme of conservation by the Antarctic Heritage Trust of New Zealand, the Ross Sea Heritage Restoration Project (RSHRP). This paper describes how the RSHRP came to be and the key components which were identified and put in place for the project at its outset. It then explores the learning from and challenges of this significant project, and it critically considers the way in which the programme has been developed and delivered. The example of Scott's memorial cross is used to illustrate the innovative approach of the RSHRP, and through the case study, the authors share both the successes (and in some cases the lack of success) of treatments, and the learning which has come from this.