BLOG - PARTimap expedition
The PLAnT-PARTIMAP Expedition:
PARticipatory MAPping in Antarctica
In late January 2026, PLAnT team members embarked on their first expedition to Antarctica,
PLAnT-PARTIMAP. They will develop in-person, semi-structured interviews with key
Antarctic stakeholders to explore perceptions on areas of use, areas of importance,
areas of concern, and the social-ecological values associated with these areas.
Interviews will feature a guided spatial survey that will be implemented through
SeaSketch, and will be used to trial the initial stage of a broad participatory mapping
process to inform potential climate-smart marine spatial planning (MSP) initiatives.
Under PLANT-PARTIMAP, two main types of
stakeholder groups will be consulted (i) research station managers and research station staff; (ii)
scientists. Engagement will be pursued in a flexible manner, under the guidance
of the coordination personnel, to minimize disruption of research activities. All
interviews will be anonymous, participation will be voluntary, and respondents
will be able to decline answering any question, or decide leaving the survey at
any time. Information received will be treated in strict compliance with data
protection and privacy regulations. Data will be used for scientific purposes
only and published in aggregated form and anonymised.
's work in Antarctica emerged from an unexpected discovery: despite decades of polar research, there was no formal process for marine spatial planning on the continent. Through the MSPOLAR project and now with the PLAnT project, the researcher's team is filling this gap and putting the issue on the international agenda.
PLANT-PARTIMAP will also contribute to promote literacy on climate-smart
MSP with consulted stakeholder groups. To build climate-smart MSP literacy
among stakeholders, outreach materials will be shared in research stations --
e.g. informative posters and pamphlets with communication channels for
future, remote, engagement.
Finally, PLANT-PARTIMAP will provide key information to support broader work
developed under the EU-funded project PLAnT (ERC-2023-StG-101117443;
www.plantproject.eu) on the benefits and challenges of planning for
sustainable ocean use in Antarctica under global environmental and social
change. The development of interviews under PLANT-PARTIMAP constitutes
therefore the first step of a broader participatory mapping process that will
involve a wider range of stakeholders — e.g., policymakers, industry, nongovernmental
organizations. It will allow the team to trial the interviewing
process while collecting key baseline information to inform climate-smart MSP
in the region.
Join us in this adventure!
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30/1/2026
punta arenas |
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30/01/2026
departing from lisbon |
