Marine Litter Prevention and Abatement Measures

The Mediterranean Sea is one of the areas most affected by marine litter worldwide. Impacts include entanglement and ingestion, bio-accumulation and bio-magnification of toxic substances released from litter items, facilitating the introduction of invasive species and causing damage to benthic habitats. MPA managers stand at the forefront of this issue, however, they often lack the tools, knowledge and resources to effectively tackle it. As a result, it can be difficult to achieve set conservation goals.

Aim of the tool

The aim of this action is to contribute to the prevention and mitigation of the impacts of marine litter in Mediterranean MPAs.

Main objectives

The objective of these measures is to propose concrete actions to reduce or mitigate marine litter presence in Mediterranean MPAs.

Technological infrastructure

Technical equipment may be necessary to perform monitoring, including a GPS tracker to record marine litter locations and a camera to document the characteristics of sites.

Training

Some training is necessary to apply the appropriate protocols to monitor abandoned, lost and discarded derelict fishing gear (ALDFG).

Investment

Each measure entails organisational, implementation and equipment costs that are variable depending on the type of measure and scope of implementation. For example, equipment costs are related to monitoring activities, the provision of refillable and/or paper caps to the local enterprises, producing reusable cups, installing reverse-vending machines or collection bins in selected sites, or organising awareness-raising events and implementing communication activities.

Concept

A total of 9 demonstrations, categorised in 5 different types of measures, have been implemented, :

• Replacement of single-use plastics.
• Derelict fishing gear management schemes.
• Awareness raising campaigns (e.g., adopt-a-beach).
• Banning specific items and activities (e.g, cigarette butt-free beaches).
• Extended producer responsibility (e.g., developing a network of collection points for beverage containers made of PET, can and glass).

For each demonstration, the location, brief description, lines of action, expected results, performance indicators, target groups and contacts of implementing and coordinating partners are specified.

The final short-listing of marine litter measures to be considered for the pilots was made using a participatory process among all Plastic Busters MPAs project partners. This ensured the full consideration of MPA-specific contexts and characteristics, such as the marine litter pressure, organisational capacity and human resources and the institutional setup and management priorities. Plastic Busters MPAs monitoring campaigns were instrumental in generating fit-for-purpose marine litter data that pinpointed the selection of targeted measures for the demonstrations.

Pilot areas

The proposed measures have been piloted in 9 Mediterranean MPAs in Greece (National Marine Park of Zakynthos, Thermaikos Gulf Protected Area), Italy (Miramare MPA, Pelagos Sanctuary, Tuscan Archipelago National Park), Slovenia (Strunjan Landscape Park), and Spain (Cabo de Gata-Nijar Natural Park-UNESCO Global Geopark, Cabrera Archipelago Maritime-Terrestrial National Park, Natural Park of Ebro Delta). They have been replicated in Albania (Karaburun-Sazan MPA), Croatia (Brijuni National Park), Montenegro (Platamuni MPA), and Slovenia (Debeli Rtič Landscape Park).

Implementation Dates

Implementation steps for each proposed measure are presented and illustrated in detail in the publication “ Showcases on how to prevent and mitigate marine litter in Mediterranean MPAs”.

The publication “Showcases on how to prevent and mitigate marine litter in Mediterranean MPAs” illustrates the experiences of piloting marine litter prevention and mitigation measures in pilot MPAs, including the challenges that were faced during the various phases.

Quantitative results

By implementing the proposed measures, it is expected that the quantities of marine litter in Mediterranean MPAs are mitigated as a result of the widespread adoption of measures preventing their entry into the marine environment.

Transfer potential

These measures can and should be adopted by other Mediterranean MPAs, as well as local managers and public authorities wishing to effectively address the issue of marine litter in their area of jurisdiction.

• In the Zakynthos Marine Park, a total of 1,500 reusable cups and 20,000 paper straws were distributed to encourage residents, tourists and businesses (beach bars, hotels, etc.) to reduce their use of single-use plastics.

• To date in the Cabo de Gata-Nijar Park, a total of 8,400 beverage containers have been collected through installed reverse-vending machines, two businesses have been involved and 184 vouchers have been offered, of which 96 have been redeemed.