Operationalizing Environmental Stewardship in the Law of the Sea: The Case of Shipborne Tourism in Antarctica

While the concept of environmental stewardship has evolved into a normative ideal embedded in international law of the sea instruments, its translation into concrete legal mechanisms to protect the marine environment remains ambiguous. This could be attributed to the vagueness of the concept, as well as the fact that international law operates through the prism of sovereignty and national interests, which may not always align with the idealistic vision of environmental stewardship. Using shipborne tourism in Antarctica as a case study, this article explores the role and place of environmental stewardship in the international law of the sea and options for states to operationalize it, both collectively and unilaterally, to advance the legal protection of the marine environment.