Contaminated by: landmines (medium contamination) and unexploded ordnance (UXO), including cluster munition remnants, all on the Falkland Islands/Malvinas.

Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 deadline: 1 March 2019
(Not on track to meet deadline)

Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 4 deadline: 1 November 2020
(Unclear whether on track to meet deadline)

Summary

As of end 2016, approximately 11.21km² of mined areas remained. Between September 2015 and December 2016 more than 1.72km² of land contaminated with mines and UXO was cleared. The next phase of demining commenced in October 2016 and is expected to run until March 2018.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (UK) affirmed that, on the Falkland Islands/Malvinas, no areas known to be contaminated with cluster munition remnants exist outside areas already suspected of being contaminated with landmines or explosive remnants of war (ERW), all of which are fenced and marked.

No submunitions were found in 2016 or the first six months of 2017.

Recommendations for action

• The UK should present detailed plans and timelines for completing demining on the Falkland Islands/Malvinas by 2019. This would also demonstrate how it intends to fulfill its Convention on Cluster Munitions clearance obligations, as any cluster munition contamination is expected to be contained in known mined areas.
• The UK should clearly disaggregate data on amount of mined areas released (or planed for future release) through survey (both canceled by non-technical survey and reduced through technical survey) and through clearance.

Mine Contamination

The only mined areas under the jurisdiction or control of the UK are on the Falkland Islands/Malvinas, the result of conflict with Argentina in 1982.[1] At the end of 2016, the UK had 77 mined areas covering 11.21km², as set out in the table below.[2] This is a small decrease from the 83 mined areas covering 11.63km² of mined area, as of March 2016,[3] the result of demining in the last quarter of 2016.

Contamination by province (as of end 2016)[4]

No civilian has ever been killed or injured by mines on the islands.[5] Over the years, however, civilians have deliberately or inadvertently entered a minefield in numerous cases.[6] It is a criminal offence on the Falkland Islands/Malvinas to enter a minefield.

The socio-economic impact of contamination on the islands is said to be minimal. All mined areas and suspected hazardous areas (SHAs) have been “perimeter-marked and are regularly monitored and protected by quality stock proof fencing, to ensure the effective exclusion of civilians.”[7] According to the UK, mined areas represent “only 0.1% of land used for farming. The mined areas cover a wide range of terrain including sandy beaches and dunes, mountains, rock screes, dry peat, wet swampy peat, and pasture land.”[8] A number of instances of cattle, sheep, or horses entering the minefields have been recorded since 2000, some of which resulted in the animals’ deaths.[9]

Cluster Munition Contamination

An unknown number of cluster munition remnants remain on the Falkland Islands/Malvinas[10] as a result of use of BL755 cluster bombs by the UK against Argentine positions during the 1982 armed conflict.

In February 2009, the Ministry of Defence stated that:

“According to historical records either 106 or 107 Cluster Bomb Units (CBU) were dropped by British Harriers and Sea Harriers during the conflict. Each CBU contains 147 BL755 submunitions and using the higher CBU figure (107), a total of 15,729 submunitions were dropped. Using a 6.4% failure rate assessed during in-service surveillance over 15 years, we would estimate that 1,006 would not explode. Given that 1,378 BL 755s were cleared in the first year after the conflict and that a further 120 have been found and disposed of since (totaling 1,498), clearly there was a slightly higher failure rate. Even if the rate had been closer to 10% and 1,573 had failed, we can only estimate that some 70 remain but that due to the very soft nature of the peat found on the islands, many of these will have been buried well below the surface. We believe that the majority of those remaining are now contained within existing minefields and these will be cleared in due course.”[11]

In 2015, the UK affirmed that no known areas of cluster munition contamination exist outside SHAs on the islands, in particular mined areas, all of which are fenced and marked.[12]

The UK has stated that potential cluster munition contamination has, in part, been taken into account during mine clearance operations on the Falkland Islands/Malvinas, with two areas, Fox Bay 8W and Goose Green 11, selected for clearance partly based on records indicating that cluster munitions had been dropped there. No cluster munition remnants were found in these two areas.[13]

In June 2015, the UK reported destruction of 19 submunitions during Phase 4(a) clearance operations, in January to April 2015, also in Stanley Area 3.[14] UK records suggest that four cluster bombs were dropped in this area.[15] No further cluster munition remnants were encountered during Phase 4(b) clearance operations in September 2015 to March 2016 in Stanley Area 2 and Stanley Area 3.[16] Prior to that, the last cluster munition remnants were found in 2010, when the UK reported destruction of two submunitions in Stanley Area 3, during clearance operations across four mined areas in 2009–2010.[17]

Program Management

A National Mine Action Authority (NMAA) was established in 2009 to oversee clearance of mined areas.[18] The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) chairs the NMAA, which contains representatives of the Ministry of Defence, the Falkland Islands government, a strategic advisor, and the project contractors.[19]

Strategic planning

The UK does not currently have a strategic plan in place for completion of mine and cluster munition clearance on the Falkland Islands/Malvinas. However, according to the UK, the first stage of Phase 5 has been designed to provide a more accurate picture of the remaining mine clearance challenge. As this first stage concludes in March 2018, the information gathered will inform the strategic plan.[20]

Since 2010, mine clearance and battle area clearance (BAC) on the Falkland Islands/Malvinas have been conducted in four phases. Phase 1 took place from October 2009 to June 2010; Phase 2 from January to March 2012; Phase 3 from January to March 2013; Phase 4(a) from January to April 2015;[21] and Phase 4(b) from September 2015 to March 2016.[22]

In September 2016, the UK announced its plans for
the next stage of survey and clearance operations on the Falkland Islands/Malvinas: Phase 5. This phase comprises two stages, the first of which commenced in October 2016 and is expected to finish in March 2018, by the end of which the UK will have a more accurate picture of its remaining mine clearance challenge.[23]

During the first stage of Phase 5, 46 minefields totaling an estimated 111,150m² will be cleared, and a further
27, totaling an estimated 431,130m², will be subject to technical survey. For the first time, operators will be clearing mined areas for which there are no minefield records, after technical survey has been conducted.[24] The survey work includes cutting lanes into suspected minefields in order to establish the position of any remaining mines, which will help to establish more accurately the extent of contamination in the remaining minefields.[25]

Standards

The UK does not have its own national mine action standards, but demining operations on the islands are conducted according to the International Mine Action Standards (IMAS), and agreed upon by the NMAA.[26] Each project’s Statement of Requirement contains the standards specific to the tasks being addressed.[27] Applicable environmental standards are agreed on in coordination with the Falkland Islands Government Environmental Planning Department to minimize damage to the fragile environment and to aid remediation.[28]

Quality management

Fenix Insight was responsible for monitoring the latest phase of clearance on a daily basis and has undertaken external quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) of the operations.[29]

Information management

In 2015, the UK disseminated reports on three phases of “exploitation work” conducted during Phases 1, 2, and 4 on the islands. These reports, although specific to the Falklands/Malvinas, were released in the expectation they might be of broader interest to the mine action community, particularly with regard to the effects of aging and weathering of specific mine types. The reports focus on two antipersonnel mines, the SB33 (Italian) and the P4B (Spanish), and two antivehicle mine types, the SB81 (Italian) and the C3B (Spanish).[30] Recent findings from analysis of recovered landmines in the Falkland Islands/Malvinas were presented as part of a side event hosted by the UK at the Mine Ban Treaty intersessional meetings in June 2017, entitled “Impact of Ageing of Landmines on Global Mine Action.”[31]

Operators

In October 2014, the Governor’s Office in Port Stanley announced that demining contracts had been awarded to two companies for Phase 4 of clearance on the islands. Battle Area Clearance, Training, Equipment and Consultancy International (BACTEC) was awarded the land release contract, while Fenix Insight was responsible for the Demining Project Office, which ensures quality management of demining operations.[32] BACTEC and Fenix Insight were subsequently awarded the contracts for the land release contractor and demining project office (including quality assurance) respectively, for Phase 5 of clearance, which commenced in October 2016.[33] Capacity for Phase 5 operations totaled 84 deminers, an increase on the 46 deminers deployed in Phase 4.[34] Mechanical equipment includes one antitank demining machine, three antipersonnel demining machines, two armored excavators, in addition to the required transportation equipment.[35]

No major changes in survey and clearance capacity were expected in 2017. The UK has noted that the Falkland Islands has limited capacity in terms of accommodation and medical/casevac (evacuation of casualties by air) facilities. Current staffing levels have reached the maximum that can be safely deployed on the islands, but work was claimed to be progressing very well with the current capacity.[36]

Land Release

During 2016, two phases of antipersonnel mine survey and clearance operations took place. The final three months of Phase 4b concluded in March 2016. Phase 4(b) had originally been expected to conclude in December 2015, but was extended by three months as one mined area proved especially difficult to clear due to the unexpected inaccuracy of the minefield records.[37] The UK allocated additional funding to the project which allowed contractors to complete, at the same time, more tasks than originally planned.[38]

Phase 5 began in October 2016. Phase 5 survey and clearance operations will tackle the most complex, remote, and environmentally sensitive minefields. Phase 5 is expected to run until March 2018, with a three-month stand down over the Austral winter beginning in June 2017.[39]

In some SHAs, machines (with a flail or tiller) are used to prepare the land for clearance, which improves productivity. All mechanically prepared ground is subsequently processed by deminers using visual search, detector search, raking, or full manual excavation drills. Furthermore, aerial drones, which were first introduced during Phase 4 clearance operations, are again being deployed during Phase 5. Use of drones to overfly SHAs helps to identify mine “dump” locations, row markers, and other evidence that might have otherwise taken a manual team several days to locate. The UK deems the use of drones to be an excellent addition to the demining toolbox. As it progresses towards clearing sand-duned areas, heavy sand-sifting machinery will be introduced.[40]

Survey and clearance from September 2015 to December 2016

During Phase 4(b) of the clearance operation from September 2015 to March 2016, a total of more than 1.3km² of mine- and UXO-contaminated land was cleared, of which 15 were mined areas totaling just over 0.83km². In addition, 0.32km² was confirmed through technical survey.[41]

During the first part of Phase 5, between October and December 2016, 0.15km² in Stanley Area 3 was reduced by technical survey and a further 0.42km² released by clearance. In addition, survey confirmed nine areas as mined, in Stanley Area 3, and Darwin and Goose Green, totaling 0.18km².[42]

Since the start of planned demining operations at the end of 2009, the UK has predominantly released land through full clearance. While non-technical and technical survey have formed part of the operations on the Falkland Islands/Malvinas for many years, the UK did not historically provide disaggregated data on the amount of land canceled by non-technical survey, reduced by technical survey, and released by full clearance.

Clearance Phases 1–5 (October 2009 to May 2017)

The first formal clearance operations since the UK became a State Party to the Mine Ban Treaty in 1999 took place at the end of 2009. In total, from October 2009 to May 2016, 54 mined areas were released, totaling just over 2.8km², with the destruction of 7,536 antipersonnel mines, 1,083 antivehicle mines, and 82 items of UXO, including 21 submunitions (see table below).

Mine clearance by project phase and area in October 2009 to May 2017[43]

Note: AP = antipersonnel; AV = antivehicle.

Cluster munition land release

No submuntions were found in 2016 or the first six months of 2017.

The UK reported that the main body of a BL755 container was found in June 2017 in “minefield GG08” during BAC in the Goose Green area. No submunitions were found and GG08 has now been declared clear.[44]

Mine Ban Treaty Article 5 Compliance

Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty (and in accordance with the 10-year extension granted by States Parties in 2008), the UK is required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 March 2019. The UK is not on track to meet this deadline.

As of December 2015, the Committee on Article 5 highlighted that total mined area cleared to date represented less than 10% of overall mine contamination, far less than the 48% the UK forecasted it would have cleared in its 2008 Article 5 deadline extension request.[45] The committee also observed that “the United Kingdom’s pace of implementation suggests that it will not be able to complete implementation of Article 5 by its deadline in 2019.”[46]

At the conclusion of the phase 4b of demining operations in March 2016, just under 2km² of mined land had been cleared since the UK joined the Mine Ban Treaty, releasing a total of 35 mined areas (see table above). As of the end of Phase 4b, 83 mined areas, covering a total of 11.63km², remained to be released,[47] and by the end of 2016 this had been reduced to 77 mined areas over 11.21km².[48] In July 2017, the UK reported that meeting the 2019 deadline would be “challenging,” and that its current priority was successful implementation of the first stages of the Phase 5, and agreeing on plans for demining beyond 2018.[49]

The Ninth Meeting of States Parties in December 2008 agreed to the UK’s request for a 10-year extension but noted the UK had agreed to provide, not later than the end of June 2010, a detailed explanation of how demining was proceeding and the implications for future demining in order to meet its obligations under Article 5.[50] As of September 2017, the UK had not yet fulfilled this commitment, though it had reported on progress in clearance and plans for the forthcoming phase of demining. The Committee on Article 5 stated at the June 2017 intersessional meetings that “updated information on United Kingdom’s plan to complete implementation of Article 5 by its deadline of 1 March 2019 would be welcomed, specifically indicating what geographical and quantified results are expected when, how, by whom and at what cost.” It also noted that the convention as a whole would benefit if the UK, “provided an accounting of annual milestones of progress to be achieved during the remaining period of its extension request.”[51] The UK has pledged to continue to provide updates on progress and share lessons learned.[52]

The UK government funds all mine-clearance operations on the Islands.[53] Many of the remaining mined areas are said to be in extremely remote locations, exposed to adverse weather conditions, and, in the UK’s opinion, pose negligible risk to civilians.[54] The UK has also reported the following additional challenges to clearance on the islands: incomplete Argentine minefield records; concerns about the environmental impact of demining; and limits on the capacity of the Falkland Islands/Malvinas to provide certain facilities for demining, such as medical evacuation of any casualties.[55] The UK expects these factors to become increasingly significant as the later phases of demining tackle the more remote and technically challenging minefields.[56]

To date, the UK has prioritized clearance of areas closest to settlements and civilian infrastructure, resulting in release of areas closest to Stanley and the roads leading in and out of the islands’ capital. In early 2016, the Ministry of Defence and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office commissioned the UK’s Defence, Science and Technology Laboratory to carry out a study to help prioritize clearance of the remaining minefields in a Phase 5 of demining. The 2016 study applied Multi Criteria Decision Analysis to rank all remaining minefields according to a range of factors including size/density of minefield; terrestrial factors (remoteness of location, topography, and difficulty of mine removal); human factors (proximity to life, benefits to local population of clearance, and political priorities of UK/Falkland Islands government); and environmental factors (conservation of wildlife and adherence to local legislation). The resultant priority list formed the basis of the UK government’s invitation to tender for the contract for Phase 5 demining. The final order of clearance will also take into account practicalities, such as the contractors’ capacity, weather, and time constraints.[57] It has noted that the small humanitarian and socio-economic impact of the remaining mined areas on the Falkland Islands/Malvinas decreases as the mined areas closest to population centers are cleared.[58]

The UK has also conducted an environmental impact assessment (EIA), which as of July 2017, was currently being discussed with the Falkland Islands government prior to the affected areas being cleared.[59] The first part of Phase 5 is due to finish in March 2018, and detailed planning for clearance beyond that date was ongoing as of July 2017. The UK remains committed to keeping States Parties informed of its progress and, as of July 2017, UK diplomats intended to provide details of clearance beyond 2018 at the Mine Ban Treaty Sixteenth Meeting of States Parties in December 2017.[60]

Convention on Cluster Munitions Article 4 Compliance

Under Article 4 of the Convention on Cluster Munitions, the UK is required to destroy all cluster munitions remnants in areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but not later than 1 November 2020. The UK is not on track to meet this deadline.

As the majority of remaining contamination is believed to be contained within existing minefields, in order for the UK to meet its obligations under the Convention on Cluster Munitions, it must also clear those minefields.

The Monitor acknowledges the contributions of the Mine Action Review (www.mineactionreview.org), which has conducted the mine action research in 2017, including on survey and clearance, and shared all its resulting landmine and cluster munition reports with the Monitor. The Monitor is responsible for the findings presented online and in its print publications.