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UNEP Tackling Marine Litter in the Caribbean
The United Nations Environment Programme is pushing for greater action to tackle marine litter in the Caribbean with support to Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Clean-up conference on Wednesday, April 23 in Montego Bay, Jamaica.
During April 23-25, 2008 the Half Moon Resort in Montego Bay, Jamaica will welcome about 65 national International Coastal Clean-up coordinators from around the world for the 2008 International Coastal Cleanup Conference. A first for the English – speaking Caribbean, presenters will include Vikki Spruill, Ocean Conservancy President, representatives from the UNEP Caribbean Environment Programme (UNEP-CAR/RCU) and other global companies to share achievements, challenges and strategies in combating marine litter.
Marine Litter (ML) continues to pose a severe threat to the health and wealth of the Caribbean Region. The problem is evident in the poor aesthetics of many beaches and other special coastal areas, as well as the entanglement and death of valuable marine species. There are also increasing human health impacts from congested waterways and recreational areas. The significance of ML is further highlighted during natural disasters and in its negative economic impact on fisheries and tourism.
Despite various localized interventions at the community and national level, the problem continues to grow at an alarming rate. During 1989-2005 marine litter data was compiled using data from International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) activities in 28 countries of the Wider Caribbean Region (WCR). A total of 6,781,537 debris items were removed from shoreline and underwater sites dominated by caps and lids, plastic utensils and bags. The majority of these items are from land based sources-an estimated 89.1%, with only 10.9% were attributable to ocean-based sources.
The call for the regional assessment and effective strategic management of the problem has been answered by the UNEP-CAR/RCU the Secretariat for the Cartagena Convention and the Protocol concerning Land Based Sources of Pollution (LBS Protocol) with primary support from UNEP Regional Seas Programme and Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA). Collaboration is also on-going with the Ocean Conservancy, ML researcher Seba Sheavly and a dedicated group of regional marine litter consultants from non-government and government entities within the WCR.
The complex and poorly understood phenomenon of marine litter resulted in a comprehensive regional assessment in 2006 by the UNEP-CAR/RCU. A series of region wide surveys, literature reviews and ICC data were compiled by ML researcher Seba Sheavly in collaboration with marine litter consultants from non-government and government entities within the WCR. This assessment led to the development of the Caribbean’s first Regional Action Plan for the Sustainable Management of Marine Litter (RAPMaLi) in 2007. The RAPMaLi was designed to addresses the complex and interconnected nature of the ML problem and outlines several actions at the National and Regional Level within five thematic areas:
1. LEGISLATION, POLICIES & ENFORCEMENT
2. INSTITUTIONAL FRAMEWORKS AND STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
3. MONITORING PROGRAMMES & RESEARCH
4. EDUCATION & OUTREACH
5. SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT STRATEGIES
Recognizing the need to implement these actions outlined within the RAPMaLi , UNEP with support from UNEP Regional Seas Programme recently initiated pilot projects within Barbados, St. Lucia and Guyana to improve public awareness and national capacity to manage ML .
The shared interest between Ocean Conservancy and UNEP-CAR/RCU in the management of this pervasive problem has resulted in improved information sharing and networking with even more significant collaboration anticipated in particular for the upcoming International Coastal Cleanup activities in 2008.
For further information contact Christopher Corbin, Programme Officer for the Assessment & Management of Pollution sub-programme of the UNEP CAR RCU at cjc@cep.unep.org or visit the CEP website at www.cep.unep.org or call: (876) 922-9267.
Additional Links
The RAPMALi and marine litter project information is available at the following links:
Plans for Caribbean Revolving Fund to Address Wastewater Management - CreW
5th SPAW-COP