Collab 14: Replicable Models on Marine Plastic Pollution Monitoring
PUBLICATION DATE:
Wednesday, February 02, 2022
PUBLICATION TYPE:
Meeting Documents
STATUS:
Only Available Online
DESCRIPTION:
The issue of marine plastic pollution has become internationally prominent in both public and policy circles. Eight million tons enter the ocean annually and consumption is expected to increase. East Asia is reported to produce over half of the plastic waste entering the oceans according to a 2015 report by Ocean Conservancy. Recognizing the region’s role in the plastic pollution crisis, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) issued the Bangkok Declaration on Combating Marine Debris in June 2019 to signify the commitment of ASEAN countries to take concrete actions and collaborate on preventing and significantly reducing marine debris, including plastic waste. The PEMSEA Network of Local Governments (PNLG) has also issued a declaration towards combating the issue (https://dev-pemseaorg.pantheonsite.io/publications/agreements-and-publications/pemsea-network-local-governments-sustainable-coastal). These statements include the application of scientific knowledge to combat marine debris, such as by monitoring to support science-based policy and decision-making.
Much plastic waste in the ocean originates from land, and therefore a ‘source-to-sea approach’ is needed to handle marine plastic pollution. Additionally, monitoring guidelines and tools must be properly configured to the local context based on institutional capacity and socioeconomic and environmental circumstances. In this regard, collaboration between different countries and communities is crucial for sharing best practices and practical yet innovative solutions to understand how they might be replicated or scaled-up in new areas.
This collab highlighted the lessons learned from the ASEAN-Norwegian Cooperation Project on Local Capacity Building for Reducing Plastic Pollution in the ASEAN Region (ASEANO), and from other efforts in the region to reduce the flow of plastic waste into the ocean. Various projects shared examples of approaches to understanding and tackling the monitoring of plastic pollution issues, while providing peer-to-peer knowledge sharing between presenters and attendees.
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