Plastic Busters CAP participatory science campaign on marine litter: get involved & make an impact!

The Mediterranean is one of the most affected seas by marine litter and in particular plastics worldwide and it is clear that actions to address this threat are urgently needed. Plastic Busters CAP launches a participatory science campaign on marine litter in the Mediterranean with the aim to empower individuals and communities to take up action and fill in the data gaps that hamper the implementation of essential measures for a Mediterranean litter free.

The power of participatory science and community-based research is that all of us can take part and generate fit-for-purpose data, fill in the environmental knowledge data gaps and contribute to effective environmental decision-making.

With Plastic Busters CAP guidance your collected data will help us gain a deeper understanding on the amounts, composition and sources of marine litter in the Mediterranean and design tailored-made mitigation actions.

The Plastic Busters CAP participatory science campaign is open to all local community actors, from NGOs, diving associations, divers’ clubs, business and industry, coastal communities, universities, expert communities to public authorities and others.

The Plastic Busters CAP participatory science campaign on marine litter in the Mediterranean is coordinated by MIO-ECSDE. Get involved and make an impact by carrying out a beach litter survey or a seafloor litter survey from the 1st to 30th of April 2023.

It’s super easy to get involved. Just follow the steps below:

Step 1

Express your interest to join the campaign by filling out the registration form.

Step 2

Learn how to conduct the beach litter or the seafloor litter survey by going through the Plastic Busters step-by-step guidelines and e-learning module.

• Step-by-step guidelines for beach macrolitter monitoring (see Chapter 2)
• E-learning lesson for beach macrolitter monitoring
• Step-by-step guidelines for seafloor macrolitter monitoring with scuba/snorkeling (see Chapter 8)
• E-learning lesson for seafloor macrolitter monitoring

Step 3

Join one of our 1-hour-long preparatory webinars to be held on the last two Wednesdays of March. The webinar info and any additional materials will be sent to all registered participants.

22 March 2023

• 10.00-11.00 CET. Preparatory webinar on the beach macrolitter monitoring methodology
• 11.00-12.00 CET. Preparatory webinar on the seafloor macrolitter monitoring methodology

29 March 2023

• 10.00-11.00 CET. Preparatory webinar on the beach macrolitter monitoring methodology
• 11.00-12.00 CET. Preparatory webinar on the seafloor macrolitter monitoring methodology

If you need more info contact Thomais Vlachogianni, Senior Policy/Programme Officer at MIO-ECSDE at vlachogianni@mio-ecsde.org

Read this in French here.

Note to the editor

The Plastic Busters CAP is an ENI CBC MED funded project, labeled by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), aiming to facilitate decision-makers and stakeholders in effectively tackling the problem of marine litter by integrating EbM (Ecosystem-Based Management Approach) into ICZM (Integrated Coastal Zone Management) planning towards good environmental status. The project entails actions that address the whole management cycle of marine litter, from monitoring and surveillance to prevention and mitigation actions.

More info at: https://www.enicbcmed.eu/projects/plastic-busters-cap