Welcome to the International Forum on the Sub-Antarctic website.

Sir Guy Green, former Governor of Tasmania and Honorary Antarctic Ambassador had a vision for many years of hosting the forum and in 2005, with the assistance of Antarctic Tasmania, convened a planning committee to organise the IFSA.

As a result, the inaugural International Forum on the Sub-Antarctic (IFSA) was held in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia in July 2006. It is believed that the 2006 IFSA was the first forum of its kind in the world to comprehensively develop the perception of the Sub-Antarctic as a distinct region.

The forum was founded upon the conviction that the Sub-Antarctic islands and surrounding seas should not be viewed as a subdivision of Antarctica but as a distinct circumpolar domain which has its own unique character, scientific significance and management issues. We believe that this may well have been the first forum to comprehensively develop this perception of this special part of the world.

Due to the success of the first forum, there has since been a second held in 2009 and a third in 2011.

In 2013, the sub-Antarctic forum will be held as part of Strategic Science in Antarctica, a joint Australian and New Zealand conference, from 24-26 June in Hobart.

This site is administered by Antarctic Tasmania and queries regarding the site can be emailed to antarctic@development.tas.gov.au

This page has been produced by the Department of Economic Development, Tourism and the Arts. You are directed to a disclaimer and copyright notice governing the information provided.