Fostering knowledge transfer to tackle marine litter in the Med by integrating EbA into ICZM
Marine litter, the vast majority of which is made of plastics, is globally acknowledged as a major environmental and societal challenge of our time. The Mediterranean is one of the most affected seas by marine litter worldwide, originating primarily from shoreline activities. Therefore, its effective management requires relevant instrument of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) that should be embedded into local development planning. The proposed project will capitalize upon and effectively transfer available knowledge and tools from 5 projects that address the entire management cycle of marine litter - from monitoring and assessment to prevention and mitigation. The project’s comprehensive, multilevel and strategic approach will facilitate the efforts of decision makers and stakeholders in effectively dealing with marine litter towards good environmental status in the Mediterranean. The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the situation as the use of single-use plastics (SUP) such as gloves and masks has increased, threatening to stall and even reverse the progress achieved with regard to SUP which account for up to 50% of beach litter.