Marine Litter Measures

Story Line#2 – Targeted measures to manage marine litter in Mediterranean MPAs and Joint Action Plan to address this threat

Project name

ACT4LITTER

Joint measures to preserve natural ecosystems from marine litter in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPA)

Storyline

Targeted measures to manage marine litter in Mediterranean MPAs and Joint Action Plan to address this threat

ACT4LITTER sought to offer concrete solutions to prevent and mitigate the impacts of marine litter in close collaboration with MPAs managers and marine litter experts. The project elaborated a comprehensive list of showcases of applied measures with a particular focus on prevention measures. Special emphasis was placed to measures that can be implemented by managers in MPAs, who sadly are at the forefront of the devastating effects of marine litter.

ACT4LITTER classified the measures in three broad categories; taking into consideration the different role the MPA managers can play in their implementation (as implementers, facilitators or promoters). All identified measures were grouped into25 categories and they were fully mapped in order to provide valuable information with regards to their operationalization on the ground.

The selected measures fed into the ACT4LITTER decision making tool which helps MPA managers to identify the most effective measures for their context.

The decision making tool helped MPA managers to define priority marine litter measures that were then integrated in 9 MPA-specific actions plans and a joint plan which aims to assist other MPA managers in the region to achieve their conservation goals.

Each MPA setup a team with the engagement of stakeholders and MPA-specific marine litter measures generated by the DMT went through a consultation process till consensus was reached on the priority measures to be implemented. This was the basis for the 9 marine litter Action Plans elaborated through a standardised methodology.

In order to foster a regional and coordinated approach, those measures identified as priority by MPAs at regional level have fed into a Joint ACT4LITTER management Plan for improving marine litter Management in Mediterranean MPAs.

Keywords

 

Marine litter, MPAs, beach management, coast, remediation, prevention measures, priority measures, awareness raising, marine litter management cycle, decision making tool, prevention measures.
Partners

Partners:

  • Catalan Waste Agency – SCP/RAC Regional Activity Centre for Sustainable Consumption and Production (leader);
  • Mediterranean Protected Areas Network – MedPAN;
  • Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE); SSSUP Sant’Anna School of Advanced Studies

22 Associated partners:

  1. MerTerre / Observatoire des Déchets en Milieux Aquatiques (France)
  2. Mediterranean Center for Environmental Monitoring (Montenegro)
  3. Universitat Autonoma of Barcelona (Spain)
  4. Shoreline (Italy)
  5. Management Body of Samaria National Park (Greece)
  6. Spanish Association of Marine Litter (Spain)
  7. Consortium of Management of Portofino MPA (Italy)
  8. City of San Benedetto del Tronto (Italy)
  9. Public Institution Nature Park Lastovo Islands (Croatia)
  10. Public Institute Landscape Park Strunjan (Slovenia)
  11. Blue World Institute of Marine Research and Conservation (Croatia)
  12. Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (Tunisia)
  13. Association for Protection of Aquatic Wildlife of Albania (Albania)
  14. Nice Cote D’Azur Metropole (France)
  15. Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment (Cyprus)
  16. Thermaikos Gulf Protected Areas Management Authority (Greece)
  17. PlasticsEurope (Belgium)
  18. Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (Spain)
  19. Public Institution National Park Kornati (Croatia)
  20. French Agency for Marine Protected Areas (France)
  21. City of Marseille (France)
  22. Regional Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning of Andalusia (Spain)
Protected areas

9 protected areas have signed MoUs and elaborated ML Action Plans:

  1. Kornati National Park, Croatia
  2. Themarmaikos gulf protected area management authority, Greece
  3. Shoreline – Miramare MPA, Italy
  4. Torre Guaceto MPA, Italy
  5. Torre del Cerrano MPA, Italy
  6. Strunjan Landscape Park, Slovenia
  7. Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park/UNESCO Global Geopark – Andalucia, Spain
  8. Ebro Delta Nature Park, Spain
  9. Llevant de Mallorca-Cala Ratjada MPA – Balearic Islands, Spain

Key messages for protected area management
  • MPA Managers Quote: “This project changed our approach to the marine litter issue. We are combating with that problem for a long time but focusing mainly on clean up campaigns, completely leaving prevention activities out of the scope of action. As part of project team, we’ve made a whole list of action which may also reduce quantity of marine litter generated in Kornati National Park” says Martina Markov, marine biologist, Kornati National Park, Croatia.
  • MPA Managers Quote: “This project changed our approach to the marine litter issue. We are combating with that problem for a long time but focusing mainly on clean up campaigns, completely leaving prevention activities out of the scope of action. As part of project team, we’ve made a whole list of action which may also reduce quantity of marine litter generated in Kornati National Park” says Martina Markov, marine biologist, Kornati National Park, Croatia.
  • ACT4LITTER provided MPAs with a list of a 100 of showcases of marine litter measures to fed into the ACT4LITTER decision making tool, which helps MPA managers to identify the most effective measures for their context.
  • ACT4LITTER provided MPAs with a decision-making tool and the methodology to elaborate marine litter action plans, providing the necessary technical support for the implementation of the different phases of the identified pilot actions.
  • There is opportunity to benefit from these efforts through the PLASTICBUSTERSMPA Interreg MED Project
Key messages for policy
  • The way forward must go through forging partnerships for action that amplify the impact of the work of individual actors in government, civil society, scientific community, private sector, international organizations, so as to effectively promote reduction and prevention measures
Key messages for science
  • “Marine litter Watch Month” It is an effective tool to gather essential marine litter data; It provides valuable baseline information on the amounts and the full spectrum of marine litter deposited on the beaches of protected areas in the Mediterranean and
  • MLWM It serves as a useful blueprint for the setup of participatory-science campaigns – understood as a method of undertaking scientific research where community groups and science professionals work together in a meaningful way on locally-relevant scientific research projects.

Key deliverables

 

  • METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH FOR THE ACT4LITTER PILOT ACTION “ACTION PLAN FOR MARINE LITTER IN MEDITERRANEAN MPAS” A quick guide for MPAs’ managers : This document is a quick guide that will lead MPA managers through a step-by-step process for elaborating their own marine litter action plan.
  • METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH FOR THE ACT4LITTER PILOT ACTION “ACTION PLAN FOR MARINE LITTER IN MEDITERRANEAN MPAS” A quick guide for MPAs’ managers : This document is a quick guide that will lead MPA managers through a step-by-step process for elaborating their own marine litter action plan.•
  • MARINE LITTER IN MEDITERRANEAN COASTAL AND MARINE PROTECTED AREAS HOW BAD IS IT? A snapshot assessment report on the amount, composition and sources of marine litter found on beaches : Consolidated results of MLWM editions •
  • LIST OF SHOWCASES OF MARINE LITTER MEASURES: More than 100 identified measures grouped into 25 classes and fully mapped in order to provide valuable information with regards to their operationalization on the ground.
  • THE ‘DECISION MAKING TOOL’:  The selected measures fed into the ACT4LITTER decision making tool, which helps MPA managers to identify the most effective measures for their specific context. http://www.dmtmarinelitter.com/• The ‘TOP 10 PRIORITY ACTIONS TO CURB MARINE LITTER IN MEDITERRANEAN MARINE PROTECTED AREAS’ A joint plan for action: The collective experience of the pilot MPAs sets the baseline for a common urgent response by Mediterranean MPAs to deal with the marine litter threat
  • ACT4LITTER Newsletters