Cultivating Transboundary Collaboration for the Collection and Management of Marine Litter

Delegates will be welcomed back to a CAMP Otranto project awareness workshop on collaborative coastal management and training on marine litter management on Wednesday 31 May 2023.

“The event will be a good opportunity to present the CAMP Otranto cross-border project,” said Oliviero Montanaro from the Ministry of Environment, Energy Security of Italy. “Potential stakeholders will be able to find out how to get involved, and we’ll be raising awareness on the importance of working with the local community on tackling marine litter. It’s an important issue where we can increase the efficiency and sustainability of activities in the Mediterranean area alongside assessing and supporting relevant ICZM initiatives at a local level, with particular reference to the waste management chain.”

The training will present the concept of “fishing for litter” and share examples of good practice with the opportunity to discuss implementation possibilities for the Vlora and Puglia regions. It will be based on the MedOpen platform modules for Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). Attendees will get free access to MedOpen prior to the event, so an average level of English or French is required. 

Expert speakers will give greater insight into how models developed in protected project sites can be extended to other coastal areas. Delegates will discover how scientific evaluation support from universities and research centres on the collection and sample analysis of marine litter has influenced the institutional response to the problem of litter delivery (collection point and dedicated infrastructure), and the management of litter by category.

 Speakers will share best practice and potential risks involved, explain the monitoring role played by the Harbour Offices/Coast Guard, and how all the activity has influenced the response of institutions to managing sea-caught waste. There will also be a chance to find out more about the financial incentives and rewards for litter collection.

 To register interest please contact Daniela Addis, National Project Coordinator by emailing daniela.addis@camp-otranto.com 

 You can follow all the news using the hashtag #CAMPOtranto.