Consensus Under Pressure in CCAMLR: Suggesting Rigour and Clarity in Process and Interpretation to Help Alleviate Internal and External Pressures

Consensus-based decision-making to achieve the purpose and objectives of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources is under pressure from many interpretative, thematic, and agenda-based directions. This chapter aims to review the discussions around consensus at CCAMLR meetings and analyse the various ways in which consensus as a process has been handled at the Commission. While geopolitical tensions arise, the analysis of public-facing reportage turns inwards. It looks at where process and interpretation have perhaps been lacking in rigour and attention and have become a cause for tension in the journey to achieve consensus. While acknowledging that interpretation is often a roadblock, this chapter highlights that clarity in the practice of process and interpretation may assist in alleviating some tensions arising as Members aim to achieve consensus.