A Nature-Reserve in Spitsbergen

Abstract

THE question of the government of the Arctic isles of Spitsbergen is occupying an international commission, and meanwhile Prof. H. ConwentE opportunely directs attention to the need for the demarcation of a Polar natural history reserve. In the second part of vol. iv. of his Beiträdge zur Naturdenkmalpflege, he brings together the views of a number of scientific men who have visited Spitsbergen, and points out the wanton destruction of reindeer, polar bears, and other animals, that is encouraged by many of the pleasure-expeditions to the north. The establishment of a recognised government would enable such “sport” to be rigorously held in check. As Prof. Penck reminds us in his contribution, a traveller may land in summer on Spitsbergen, may see the antlers of reindeer and their tracks in the soil, and yet may never come across a single individual. The accessibility of Spitsbergen makes it especially attractive to the geologist and the naturalist, and the scale of its scenery provides an admirable illustration of our own islands during the waning of the Quaternary ice-age.