Major initiatives aiming to tackle marine litter in the Mediterranean and how these initiatives are contributing to the implementation of the Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter Management in the Mediterranean was the focus of a Barcelona Convention COP19 side event organised by MIO-ECSDE jointly with UNEP/MAP.

Entitled “Tackling marine litter in the Mediterranean” it took place on the 1^st day of the COP, which is taking place in Athens, Greece from 9-12 February 2016, and offered a sense of relief that important steps and actions on this serious challenge have been taken in the region. The event brought together some 40 participants who had the opportunity to be informed about capitalizing on the cutting edge outputs, best practices and lessons learned of these initiatives, as well as on how these can be expanded and replicated in order to serve the needs of other Mediterranean countries.

The event was opened by UNEP/MAP MEDPOL Programme Officer Tatjana Hema, who presented the key findings of the Marine Litter Assessment in the Mediterranean, a report updated in 2015. MIO-ECSDE Programme Officer, Thomais Vlachogianni, in her intervention stressed the key role of Civil Society in the implementation of the Regional Plan, including their contribution from awareness raising activities to filling in the knowledge gaps that stand in the way of effective decision making. She presented four major initiatives tackling marine litter in the region where MIO-ECSDE and several of its members and partners have a key role, namely the:

• Regional Survey on abandoned, lost or discarded fishing & ghost nets in the Mediterranean sea;
• FP7 project “MARine LItter in Europe’s Seas: Social AwarenesS and CO-Responsibility (MARLISCO)” funded by the European Union;
• IPA Adriatic project Derelict Fishing Gear Management System in the Adriatic Region (DeFishGear) co-funded by the European Union;
• The Plastic Busters initiative for a Mediterranean litter-free, heading for UfM labelling next week. 

A new flick on the collective achievement of the Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter Management in the Mediterranean was also launched, soon to be available on various media channels.

Within the framework of the DeFishGear project, MIO-ECSDE carried out its last set of beach litter surveys in Thesprotia, Greece, on 12-15 January 2016. Extraordinary observations were made at the site of Arrilas beach, where large amounts of microplastics, mainly polysterene microparticles from fish boxes were recorded. These observations will be included in the results of the pilot ‘monitoring’ activity on amounts, composition and potential impacts of marine litter, expected to be published early in 2016.

The previous sets of surveys took place in winter (November 2014), spring (March 2015) and summer (July 2015). Based on the beach monitoring methodology prepared by MIO-ECSDE in collaboration with other DeFishGear partners, six sites were selected taking into consideration their location (vicinity to ports, river mouths, tourist destinations, coastal urban areas, remote areas) and other features related to morphology, accessibility, etc. The sites – located at Valtos (Parga), Arrila beach (Perdika), Mega Ammos (Syvota), Drepano (Igoumenitsa), Kalamas estuary and Sagiada beach – were also chosen because of the input received from the Management Body of Kalamas – Acherontas Rivers, who also granted the MIO-ECSDE team with the necessary permission to perform the surveys in three locations within the protected area.

The results of the one-year-long beach litter surveys will contribute to the identification of risks in the area related to litter that ends up in the marine environment originating from different on- and off-shore human activities (e.g. inadequate urban solid waste management at all stages, discharge of untreated municipal sewage, commercial fishing, etc.) and will subsequently facilitate the work of the Management Body, as well as of the local authorities to identify prevention and mitigation actions to tackle marine litter. It should be noted that MIO-ECSDE and Accademia del Leviatano have undertaken floating litter surveys in the area, while the other Greek DeFishGear partner, the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research, is carrying out marine litter monitoring activities on beaches, seafloor and biota in the area of Corfu.

For more info contact: Thomais Vlachogianni, This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

On the 27^th of May 2015 MIO-ECSDE, one of the DeFishGear leading organizations, participated in the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) stakeholders conference entitled "Towards a Roadmap for Blue Investment and Jobs in the Mediterranean'' held in Athens. The conference brought together some 150 stakeholders involved in marine and maritime issues and provided the opportunity to collect input on key challenges that need to be addressed and the emerging opportunities for investment and jobs creation in the blue economy of the Mediterranean basin. The event was held back-to-back with the UfM Ad Hoc Senior Officials Meeting on Blue Economy, which took place on 28 May in Athens, in order to advance preparations for the related Ministerial Meeting on Blue Growth to be held in the autumn of 2015.

One priority issue that was addressed within a dedicated panel discussion was the growing threat of marine litter, which poses significant risks to wildlife and ecosystems, human livelihood and wellbeing. Marine litter is highlighted as an emerging priority under the UfM Declaration on Environment and Climate Change, adopted in May 2014. The event provided the possibility for panelists and audience alike to hone into the many aspects of the marine litter issue, including environmental, technical, investment-related, stakeholder involvement, etc.

MIO-ECSDE’s views and perspectives on the issue of marine litter fed into the panel discussion, with a particular emphasis placed on the key hindrances to effectively deal with marine litter and ways to overcome them. MIO-ECSCDE showcased two major initiatives carried out at European Regional Seas and Adriatic Sea level, namely the FP7 MARLISCO project and the IPA Adriatic DeFishGear project and distilled lessons learned at the science-policy-society interface.

The event was moderated by Guenter Hoermandinger, Unit on Marine Environment and Water Industry, Directorate-General for Environment, European Commission and Alessandra Sensi, Programme Manager, Water and Environment Division, Secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean. Tatjana Hema, Programme Officer of UNEP/MAP MEDPOL was the introductory speaker while the panelists were Cristina Fossi, Prof. University of Siena, Italy; Thomais Vlachogianni, Programme Officer of MIO-ECSDE; Carolina Pérez Valverde, Director of the ECNC Group/ EUCC Mediterranean Centre, Spain.

The key messages of the panel discussion can be found here: http://fr.amiando.com/eventResources/C/d/fuX4bkSFs74Kyz/Key_messages_Panel_1C.pdf