Members are composed of national research programs who respective governments are signatories to the Antarctic Treaty committing the continent as a natural reserve.

COMNAP convenes geographic regional break-out groups covering the Peninsula, Ross Sea, East Antarctica, Larsemann Hills, Dronning Maud Land, and High Plateau.

Antarctic research is enabled by a multitude of key scientific infrastructure, facilities and support platforms operated by countries across these regions and disciplines.

These include air safety, managing waste, preventing oil spills, contingency planning and reducing impact on the Antarctic environment.

Membership is open to those countries’ national agencies responsible for planning and conducting Antarctic operations in support of science.