Launch of Plastic Busters Project

17 April 2018, Siena. The launch of the UfM labelled-project Plastic Busters will take place in Siena, Italy, the 17 April 2018.

The Mediterranean Sea is one of the areas most affected by Marine Litter (ML) in the world. The impacts of ML on marine biota within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), including endangered species such as cetaceans and sea turtles, remain poorly addressed, however it is clear that prevention and mitigation measures are urgently needed.

The overall objective of PlasticBusters MPAs project is to contribute to maintain biodiversity and preserve natural ecosystems in pelagic and coastal MPAs, by defining and implementing a harmonized approach against Marine Litter.

This integrated project entails actions that address the whole management cycle of ML, pressures and impacts and networking between and among pelagic and coastal MPAs located in Italy, France, Spain, Croatia, Albania and Greece.

PlasticBusters MPAs is the first project at basin scale where EU and IPA countries join forces to tackle marine litter via a coordinated approach acting to: (I) diagnose the ML impacts on biodiversity in MPAs, including the identification of “ML hotspots”, (II) define and test tailor-made surveillance, prevention and mitigation measures in MPAs, and (III) develop a common strategy for Interreg Med regions towards the conservation of biodiversity in Med MPAs. A joint governance plan will be defined through a participatory approach and the concretized commitment of Med MPAs (MoUs) to implement it, will result in an increased surface area of habitats supported to attain a better conservation status.

More information on the project: https://ufmsecretariat.org/project/plastic-busters-for-a-mediterranean-free-from-litter/

Registration to the event : http://www.congressi.unisi.it/plasticbustersmpas/