Transcript ********* 1 - DeFishGear

Marine litter and sea turtles:
results of MEDASSET’s activities in the Adriatic and
Ionian region
Presentation prepared for the "Conference on Sub-Regional Cooperation in
Marine Litter Management in Adriatic-Ionian Sub-Region”
25 March 2015, Hotel President, Split, Croatia.
Sea turtles & marine litter
The Adriatic-Ionian region hosts major sea turtle habitats.
Caretta caretta nests, feeds, develops and overwinters in the region, while the
Chelonia mydas and Dermochelys coriacea are occasionally found in the Adriatic
and Ionian region. All three are priority species that are threatened with
extinction.
Marine litter is considered one of the main threats to sea turtle survival [1] and
sea turtles are useful indicator species for marine litter levels.
“Life is in your hands” video still: Shalmor Avnon
Amichay/Y&R Interactive Tel Aviv
D.Allen/C.M.C.-Washington D.C.
Melbourne Zoo, Australia
General map of marine and terrestrial sea turtle
habitats in Adriatic and Ionian Seas.
Monitoring and reduction of marine litter is a priority for sea turtle conservation in the region.
Since 1988, MEDASSET
• documents litter problems during beach cleanups & sea turtle habitat assessments
• advocates for improved waste management & marine litter reduction policies
• raises awareness & educates the general public and younger generation
Here we present MEDASSET’s recent activities related to marine litter.
[1] Venizelos, L., Smith, M. 1997. The impact of small garbage on the marine environment with emphasis on the Mediterranean marine turtle
population. BCG Testudo 4 (4), 41–48.
Survey of coastal litter
North Albania & South Montenegro
Drini Bay is an important foraging & developmental habitat for loggerhead sea
turtles according to the results of our collaborative research project
“Monitoring and Conservation of Important Sea Turtle Feeding Grounds in the
Patok Area of Albania in 2008-2010”.[2]
©MEDASSET, Photo: M.White
Map of
surveyed areas
& item counts
Litter at the River Ishmi outflow, in Drini Bay, Albania.
The project included a coastal litter survey in Drini Bay,
Albania, and Ulcinj, Montenegro, in August - September 2009.
At each of the 11 locations, items along the coast were counted
into categories and the worst affected areas were identified.
For methods see [3]
Plastics made up 85% of the total items counted by the survey.
The south of Drini Bay, near the outflow of Ishmi River was the
worst affected area.
J.F COSTOPOULOS FOUNDATION
PANTON TRUST
SPEAR CHARITABLE TRUST
[2] White, M., Boura, L. & Venizelos, L. 2013. Population Structure for Sea Turtles at Drini Bay: An Important Nearshore Foraging and Developmental Habitat in Albania. Chelonian Conservation
and Biology: December 2013, Vol. 12, No. 2, pp. 283-292.
[3] White, M., Haxhiu, I., Kararaj, E., Përkeqi, D., Petri, L., Saçdanaku, E., Boura, L. & Venizelos, L. 2010. Plastic debris at an important sea turtle foraging ground in Albania. In: Blumenthal, J., A.
Panagopoulou & A.F. Rees (Comps.). Proceedings of the 30th Annual Symposium on Sea Turtle Biology and Conservation. NOAA Tech Memo NMFS-SEFSC-640. pp. 73-4.
Annex 2 of White et al. 2011. Monitoring and Conservation of Important Sea Turtle Feeding Grounds in the Patok Area of Albania 2008-2010. Final Project Report. A project of MEDASSET in
collaboration with H.A.S., Albania; University of Tirana; ECAT, Albania. Supported by: GEF/SGP, Tirana; RAC/SPA (UNEP/MAP); UNEP/MAP.
Advocacy for illegal landfill closure
An illegal and saturated waste disposal site
operates in the National Marine Park of
Zakynthos, Greece.
MEDASSET and other NGOs have reported
and complained about recurring pollution
events for over a decade. The European
Commission decided to refer the case to the
EU Court of Justice in 2012 (IP/12/1023). In
February 2014, the local government finally
ordered the landfill closure. However, the
landfill still operates and concrete actions
pending. Local government will have to
present an action plan by the end of April.
Advocacy for marine litter
reduction policies
© MEDASSET, 2013
Leachate and rubbish from illegal landfill pollute the National Marine Park of Zakynthos,
the most important loggerhead sea turtle nesting site in the Mediterranean Sea.
MEDASSET encourages leaders to instigate groundbreaking policies that will
tackle marine litter.
We participate in the processes related to the EU Marine Strategy Framework
Directive and the UNEP /MAP Ecosystem Approach Implementation
Programme, and advocate for robust monitoring programmes, ambitious
reduction targets and a plastic bag phase-out and ban.
Education, citizen science and beach cleanups
Using the sea turtle as a flagship species, MEDASSET has campaigned about the effects of litter in the marine
environment since 1996.
© MEDASSET, 2013
The Small Garbage educational campaign focuses on small litter items,
especially plastics and cigarette butts (1996-to date). Information is
disseminated internationally to schools and the general public and via beach
cleanups in Greece. Data recorded during cleanups in Kefalonia and
Zakynthos islands in 2003 showed plastic was the most common item
found.
MEDASSET designs and implements educational programmes
and organises festivals to talk about marine litter, ghost fishing
and sea turtles to students, their educators and parents with the
aim to change littering habits and make informed decisions on
consumption of products.
The Join In & Clean Up campaign (2011-2014) has mobilised 12,084
volunteers who cleaned up 64 km of coastline in 44 beach cleanups
in 19 locations in Greece [4]. These citizen-scientists recorded
230,555 items (18.5t). In total, more than 41,000 people have been
informed on the devastating impact of marine litter via campaign
material.
All our informational leaflets are available online.
[4] Interactive map in: http://www.apostolinero.com/default.asp?static=9
Derelict Fishing Gear
Established in 2013
Initiated by Aquafil, ECNC Group and Star Sock
To remove ghost nets, from EU seas
Recovered fishing nets regenerated into ECONYL®
51 tonnes of nets have already been removed
Over 60 volunteer divers and numerous aquaculture
companies, local communities, NGOs, governments have
been involved in the North Sea and in the Adriatic Sea.
MEDASSET is the official local partner for
Greece/Mediterranean Pilot Project
Figure: The Healthy Seas approach, www.healthyseas.org
Our role includes establishing collection points throughout
Greece for derelict nets’ in cooperation with fishermen
associations and fish farms, coordinating and
implementing diving actions in the Ionian and the Aegean
Seas for the retrieval of ghost nets, and raising awareness
on the issue.
Since 2014, Healthy Seas partnered with DeFishGear for
activities in the Adriatic Sea.
Awareness Raising
In 2012, MEDASSET created a poster to raise
awareness about the lethal effect of plastic litter and
esp. plastic bags on sea turtles.
On the 2nd day of its release it went viral on social
media, viewed by millions around the world and
shared by over 240,000 on Facebook.
The poster has been adopted by 65 organisations,
translated in 12 languages and it is in permanent
display by prestigious institutions, aquariums and
museums around the world. Its success led to its
adaptation to an animated public service
announcement.
We invite you to adopt the campaign and help inform
others in your country.
Thank you!
© MEDASSET, 2013