In the framework of the Interreg Med Biodiversity Protection Community project (MBPC), Arnaud Terrisse represented Plan Bleu, partner of the project, at at the MARLICE international forum which took place in Seville from 16 to 20 May 2022 within the frame of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
This forum aims to link different sectors and develop strategies to eliminate marine litter. Several key topics are addressed in participatory workshops: Innovation & business, monitoring and technologies, collaborative engagements, circular economy and plastic consumption, European policies and regional seas conventions. All participants are involved in the development of common documents with the same objective: to achieve a rapid reduction of marine litter.
The MBPC project and the Beyond Plastic Med (BeMed-Islands) initiative organised a session entitled “Focus on the Mediterranean: Pioneer science and actions on the field” which took place on Thursday 19 May from 10:00 to 13:00. The objective of the round table on 19 May 2022 was to take stock of achievements and solutions to mitigate the impacts of marine litter on marine biodiversity and our health, with a focus on coastal areas and islands.
This session was rich in exchanges and addressed important issues in the fight against marine litter such as data harmonisation, the state of knowledge on marine pollution, emerging technologies in environmental monitoring and regional policies in the framework of the Barcelona Convention. Moreover, the discussion highlighted the importance of bringing together initiatives, projects and organisations working on marine litter in the Mediterranean and other regions for greater impact.
Finally, 9 recommendations were formulated to achieve the reduction and elimination of marine litter in the Mediterranean. These recommendations were brilliantly illustrated by our graphic facilitator, Yorgos, during the session:
