Abstract |
Marine litter -any persistent,
manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of or
abandoned in the marine and coastal environment- poses a major threat to
wildlife and ecosystems, as well as, to humans and their livelihoods.
Marine litter is a complex and multi-faceted issue with environmental,
economic, safety, health and cultural implications. Marine litter knows
no boundaries and represents a pervasive and persistent problem that
expands beyond borders away from the source of origin. Coordinated and
multi-sectoral action is key to combating marine litter.
A pilot project for
coordinated and harmonized actions on the science-policy-society
interface for litter-free Adriatic and Ionian Seas
The DeFishGear Project
originated as a response to the need for dealing effectively with the
issue of marine litter in the Adriatic-Ionian macroregion, towards litter-free coasts and sea.
It aims to facilitate efforts for integrated planning to reduce the
environmental impacts of litter-generating activities and ensure the
sustainable management of the marine and coastal environment of the
Adriatic and Ionian Seas.
The DeFishGear approach to combat marine
litter entails sharing scientific knowledge and obtaining accurate,
coherent and comparable scientific data that will ultimately facilitate
the implementation of coordinated and multi-sectoral actions.
Results
- Improved knowledge on the occurrence, amounts, sources and impacts
(including socio-economic impacts) of marine litter (including
microplastics) in the Adriatic;
- Harmonized marine litter monitoring activities in the Adriatic
region and enhanced collaboration as a building block for future
actions;
- Strengthened & reinforced science-policy interface to support
the integration of sound science into policy and decision making in
effectively tackling marine litter;
- Joint, coordinated and/or complementary schemes to manage human
activities generating litter in the Adriatic Sea and strengthened
implementation of relevant policy frameworks (Marine Strategy Framework
Directive, Regional Plan for Marine Litter Management in the
Mediterranean, Ecosystem Approach, Maritime Spatial Planning, Integrated
Coastal Zone Management, etc.)
Target groups
- policy and decision makers at local, national, european and regional levels;
- the research community;
- NGOs and CSOs;
- key stakeholders that benefit from and depend on the marine
environment such as proffessionals from economic sectors such as
fisheries, aquaculture, tourism and shipping, as well as the wider
public.
Strategic input
The DeFishGear project provides
strategic input to European and European Regional Seas efforts in
successfully achieving good environmental status with regards to marine
litter.
The DeFishGear project is a concrete
contribution to the main legislative marine litter related frameworks in
the Adriatic-Ionian macroregion, the EU Marine Strategy Framework
Directive and the UNEP/MAP Regional Plan for Marine litter Management in
the Mediterranean. Furthemore, the project activities and outputs
promote the implementation of the ecosystem approach and the
implementation of the ICZM protocol.
|