• English
  • Français
  • العربية
Follow us
Union for the Mediterranean – UfMUnion for the Mediterranean – UfMUnion for the Mediterranean – UfMUnion for the Mediterranean – UfM     Mediterranean Day
  • Who we are
    • Who we are

      The Union for the Mediterranean is an intergovernmental institution bringing together the European Union Member States and 16 countries from the Southern and Eastern shores of the Mediterranean to promote dialogue and cooperation.

      Overview   

    • Who we are

      • Member States
      • Meet the team
      • Partners
      • History
    • Key documents

      UfM Annual Report 2022 Regional Integration
  • What we do
    • Notre action

      The UfM seeks to enhance regional cooperation, dialogue and the implementation of concrete projects and initiatives with tangible impact on our citizens to address three strategic objectives: human development, stability and integration.

      Overview   

    • Inclusive Development

      • Economic Development and Employment
      • Higher Education & Research
      • Social & Civil Affairs

      Sustainable development

      • Water, Environment and Blue Economy
      • Transport & Urban Development
      • Energy & Climate Action
    • How we work

      • Political Framework
      • Regional Dialogue Platforms
      • Projects and Initiatives
  • Work with us
    • The UfM Secretariat is the operational platform of the Union for the Mediterranean. The staff of the UfM is made of more than 17 nationalities working in a multicultural environment that fosters cooperation and intercultural communication and exchange.

    • Work with us

      • Vacancies
      • Secondments
      • Internships
      • Procurement
      • Roster of experts
  • Info center
    • Info center

      Find our latest press releases, press invitations, visual identity, key institutional documents, photos and other relevant information


      Download the UfM Visual Identity Guidelines and Logos (zip file)   

    • Info center

      • Media corner
      • News
      • Agenda
      • Publications and key documents
      • Human Stories of the Mediterranean
    • UfM in the Media

      21 September 2023 – La Croix – Union pour la Méditerranée : « Les pays ne veulent pas lâcher ce lien qui les unit »
      View article
      7 September 2023 – Webmanagercenter – Grammenos Mastrojeni, SGA de l’UpM : « A chaque fois que nous faisons le choix de la durabilité, nous créons de la souveraineté »
      View article
      23 July 2023 – Diário de Notícias – União para o Mediterrâneo, 15 anos de cooperação regional
      View article
      See more
  • Contact

Monitoring Marine Litter in the Mediterranean

The Mediterranean Sea has been described as one of the areas most affected by marine litter in the world. Although the effects of plastic litter on the marine environment and marine organisms have been investigated recently in several oceanic areas, the information available on the Mediterranean Sea is poor. Despite the uncertainties and gaps in knowledge concerning the exact quantities, fate and biotic impacts of marine litter, current evidence is more than sufficient to highlight the urgent need to implement mitigation measures across the entire Mediterranean basin (UNEP/MAP, 2015). Such a need has been widely recognized, for example in the UNEP/MAP Regional Plan on Marine Litter Management of the Barcelona Convention (2013), covering the whole region, and in the European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD; 2008/56/EC), for European marine waters. The main objective of this document is to review the current knowledge on the impact of marine litter (mainly ingestion) on Mediterranean biodiversity and to propose a methodological approach to assessing marine debris and its impacts in the Sea, using marine organisms as bioindicator species and applying a new integrated monitoring tool to help develop and implement future governance and mitigation actions at basin scale. Bioindicator species play an essential role in monitoring marine litter at basin scale, and a harmonized approach to the choice of selection criteria, developed by the Plastic Busters partners, is presented. This document aims to contribute to understanding the fate and impacts of marine litter, and (i) reviews the information currently available on the impact of marine litter on Mediterranean marine organisms, (ii) defines selection criteria for the choice of bioindicator species, (iii) proposes a multiphase monitoring approach to detecting the presence and impact of marine litter in bioindicator species, and (iv) identifies gaps and further development needed. The threefold approach to monitoring combines assessment of the amount and type of litter ingested by a range of marine organisms with analysis of tissue for contaminants – ‘plastic tracers’, and with the analysis of biological responses (biomarkers) present in the organism. The document also includes three technical annexes: Annex 1, which sets out methodological details for assessing the presence and effects of marine litter on bioindicator organisms; Annex 2, which looks in more detail at the IMAP and the MSFD, including the descriptors and objectives for Good Environmental Status and targets for Marine Litter; and Annex 3, a table of Mediterranean species with documented marine litter ingestion.

Authors: Matteo Baini SDSN Mediterranean Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell’Ambiente Università di Siena, Siena, Italy; Cristina Pedà Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA) Laboratorio di Milazzo, Milazzo, Italy; Cristina Panti SDSN Mediterranean Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell’Ambiente Università di Siena, Siena, Italy; Ilaria Caliani SDSN Mediterranean Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell’Ambiente Università di Siena, Siena, Italy; Silvia Casini SDSN Mediterranean Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell’Ambiente Università di Siena, Siena, Italy; Claudio Leonzio Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell’Ambiente Università di Siena, Siena, Italy; and Maria Cristina Fossi Plastic Busters Project leader and coordinator SDSN Mediterranean Dipartimento di Scienze Fisiche, della Terra e dell’Ambiente Università di Siena, Siena, Italy

January 2018

 

PDF  

…Other publications you may like

Water, Climate and Finance: Strengthening water finance and investment policies to address the climate emergency in the Mediterranean region – UfM Water Finance Series #4
Water and Youth Engagement Strategy 2023-2028
Towards Developing a SEMED Water Knowledge Platform – Mediterranean Water Development Outlook
“State of the Art” Report for Wash Thematic Priority Within UfM Water Agenda

Who we are

  • Member States
  • Meet the team
  • Partners
  • History

What we do

  • Economic Development & Employment
  • Higher Education & Research
  • Social & Civil Affairs
  • Water, Environment and Blue Economy
  • Transport & Urban Development
  • Energy & Climate Action

How we work

  • Political Framework
  • Regional Dialogue Platforms
  • Projects and Initiatives

Work with us

  • Vacancies
  • Secondments
  • Internships
  • Procurement
  • Roster of experts

Info centre

  • Media corner
  • News
  • Agenda
  • Publications and key documents
  • Human Stories of the Mediterranean
  • Photo gallery
  • Video gallery
Co-financé par l'Union européenne  -  Cookie Privacy  |  Privacy Privacy  |  Legal notice
  • Who we are
    • Member States
    • Meet the team
    • Partners
    • History
  • What we do
    • Economic Development and Employment
    • Higher Education & Research
    • Social & Civil Affairs
    • Water, Environment and Blue Economy
    • Transport & Urban Development
    • Energy & Climate Action
  • How we work
    • Political Framework
    • Regional Dialogue Platforms
    • Projects and Initiatives
  • Work with us
    • Vacancies
    • Secondments
    • Internships
    • Procurement
    • Roster of experts
  • Info centre
    • Media center
    • News
    • Agenda
    • Publications and key documents
  • Contact
  • Social media
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
    • Linkedin
    • Flickr
  • English
  • Français
  • العربية
Union for the Mediterranean – UfM

 

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in .


3rd Party Cookies

Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Cookies Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Read more

3rd Party Cookies

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.

Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!