Major short-term threats to the South Pole are said to include climate change impacts on marine systems, marine resource use, ocean acidification, invasive alien species, pollution, and habitat alteration.
The treaty currently in place to protect the region is under scrutiny as to whether this will continue to protect the area as technology improves and temperatures increase.
Researchers said early explorers would be shocked by the changed landscape, and although the treaty is currently still effective, scope for swifter decision-making would have to be considered if the Antarctic is to be conserved in current and future climates.
Read more at Monash University