Sources of marine litter

Effects of marine litter

There is a need to differentiate between measures aimed at preventing marine litter at the source and measures taken to deal with marine litter once it is already present in the marine and coastal environment.

Challenges in preventing and combating marine litter

As long as the input of non degradable litter into the marine environment continues, the result will be increased quantities of marine litter in the coastal and marine environments.

Inclusion of marine litter in global and regional environmental assessments

Considering the very slow rate of degradation of most marine litter items, a continuous input of large quantities of marine litter will result in a gradual increase of litter in the coastal and marine environment.

The United Nations Environment Programme and the marine litter challenge

Development of guidelines for management of marine litter at the regional and national levels

Pieces of marine litter can also transport invasive species between seas.

A short overview of activities of the United Nations Environment Programme related to addressing the problem of marine litter

It is a vicious killer of wildlife. Entanglement and ingestion are the primary kinds of direct damage to wildlife caused by it.

Lost or abandoned fishing gear is a significant and very persistent form of marine litter. It poses a threat to the marine environment, as well as to human life and activities.

It would also try to develop a platform for cooperation and coordination of activities for the control and management of marine litter on a wider scale.

A leaflet on marine litter, entitled Tightening the noose , was also published recently by UNEP. As mentioned earlier, in order to address the global and transboundary problem of marine litter, an interdisciplinary, multisectoral and holistic approach should be taken.

The main land based sources of marine litter are municipal landfills (waste dumps) located on the coast, riverine transport of waste from landfills and other sources, discharges of untreated municipal sewage and storm water, industrial facilities, medical waste and tourism (recreational visitors, beach goers).

Insurance companies estimate that a total of 50 million has been awarded for repairs from damage incurred by marine litter.

Marine litter should be included in global and regional agreements, action plans, initiatives and negotiations and in national legislation.

The document addresses the problem of marine litter, as well as the measures to prevent the problem, and contains an analysis of the situation and proposals for action.

Other threats to the marine and coastal ecosystems from marine litter include smothering of the seabed and disturbance of habitats from mechanical beach cleaning.

As marine litter is found in all sea areas of the world, this proposed project would concentrate first on pilot regions that are particularly affected.

In the ROPME Sea Area (the Kuwait Convention region), litter is an increasing problem, generated from land, shore and ship based activities.

Marine litter originates from many sources and has a wide spectrum of environmental, economic, safety, health and cultural impacts.

Almost 58 per cent of the coastal marine litter found could be attributed to shoreline and recreational activities, such as beach picnicking and general littering.

In 2002, over 390,000 volunteers in 100 countries took part in these campaigns. They removed marine litter from more than 21,000 km of coastline and waterways, collecting more than 6.2 million pieces of marine litter, weighing over 4,000 tonnes.

Marine litter is an environmental, economic, health and aesthetic problem. It kills, injures and causes pain and suffering.

On the basis of the assessment and the guidelines prepared, the MED POL Programme developed a pilot project for coastal litter management in a number of locations in Lebanon.

Marine debris, also referred to as marine litter, is any persistent, manufactured or processed solid material discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment. Chapter X.B.

Marine litter is found in all sea areas of the world not only in densely populated regions, but also in remote places far away from any obvious sources.

Only a few economic assessments have been made of the costs and financial damage caused by marine litter to municipalities or to specific activities such as fisheries.

However measures to reduce or prevent marine litter should be a part of waste management in society as a whole.

Education on the sources and effects of marine litter and ways of reducing the problem at the source needs to be incorporated into curriculums at various levels in the educational sector.

Every year, marine litter entails great economic costs and losses to people and communities around the world.

Studies from various parts of the world have confirmed that marine litter is found everywhere in the marine and coastal environment, from the poles to the equator and from continental coastlines to small remote islands.

Despite efforts made internationally, regionally, nationally and many times locally, there are indications that the marine litter problem keeps growing worse.

The following are reports received from individual regional seas programmes on their respective activities vis à vis the problems of marine litter and abandoned fishing gear.

UNEP and its Regional Seas Programme and the Global Programme of Action have been developing and implementing a number of activities on the management of marine litter.

This initiative would provide a platform for inter agency cooperation and coordination of activities for the control and management of marine litter and derelict fishing gear as part of the project.

Marine litter has become an issue of concern in the Northwest Pacific region because it is linked to other marine environmental, economic, health and aesthetic problems, including possible transfer of toxic substances and invasive species, destruction of marine habitats and loss of biodiversity.

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Seas Programme recognizes the immediate and direct interconnection between marine litter and lost and abandoned fishing gear and related debris.

Moreover, greater coordination and cooperation among them could be the most powerful means of ensuring that the battle against marine litter is waged in a comprehensive and effective manner.

Long term and well designed research and monitoring programmes and studies in order to detect and determine statistically significant trends in the composition, quantities and effects of marine litter globally and regionally

The results of this project, through activities in pilot regions, will allow further development of inter agency and trans regional initiatives to address the global problem of marine litter.

The overall objective of the currently scheduled project is to seek sustainable management of marine litter in the NOWPAP region in line with the sources, quantities and adverse effects of marine litter.

Move waste to stock