2015 MARINE LITTER ASSESSMENT IN THE MEDITERRANEAN THE MEDITERRANEAN IN ASSESSMENT MARINE LITTER 2015 1 COVER PHOTO: © Isabelle Poitou / MerTerre Final page layout & cover page were prepared by P. Alexandropoulou MARINE LITTER 2015 ACKNOLEDGEMENTS This publication was prepared by the UNEP/MAP MED POL Program­ me through the EcAp­MED project co­funded by the EU and the ASSESSMENT IN THE Mediterranean Trust Fund of the UNEP/MAP Barcelona Convention. The chief editors were Tatjana Hema (UNEP/MAP MED POL) and Hoda El Turk (UNEP/MAP). The main contributor was Dr. Francois Galgani MEDITERRANEAN (IFREMER, Laboratoire LER/PAC), assisted for the French version, by Francoise Claro (National Museum of Natural History, Paris, France). UNEP/MAP acknowledges the comments received on the draft 2015 version of this assessment from the MED POL Focal Points. These have been included in the final version as far as appropriate. UNEP/ MAP wishes to thank all other contributors who were involved in the finalization of this assessment. LEGAL NOTICE The designations employed and the presentation of the material in THE MEDITERRANEAN IN ASSESSMENT MARINE LITTER this document do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of UNEP/MAP or the EU concerning the legal status of any State, Territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of their frontiers or boundaries. COPYRIGHT This publication may be reproduced in whole or in part and in any form for educational or non­profit purposes without special permission from the copyright holder, provided acknowledgement of the source is made. UNEP/MAP would appreciate receiving a copy of any publication that uses this publication as a source. This publication cannot be used for resale or for any other commercial purpose whatsoever without permission in writing from UNEP/MAP. For bibliographic purposes this volume may be cited as: Marine Litter Assessment in the Mediterranean, UNEP/MAP, Athens, 2015. © 2015 United Nations Environment Programme / Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP) P.O. Box 18019, Athens, Greece UNEP­MAP (www.unepmap.org) is the first regional seas programme involving 21 countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, as well as the European Union. Through UNEP/MAP, the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols are determined to meet the challenges of protecting the marine and coastal environment while boosting regional and national efforts to achieve sustainable development. The EcAp­MED project on the “Implementation of the Ecosystem Approach in the Mediterranean by the Contracting Parties in the context of the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal region of the Mediterranean and its Protocols”(EcAp MED project 2012­2015) aims to support UNEP/MAP to implement EcAp in synergy with the implementation of the EU’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive. The Mediterranean Information Office for Envi­ ronment, Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO­ECSDE | www.mio­ecsde.org) is a MAP Partner, a Federation of 130 Non­Governmental Organizations (NGOs) working in the fields of Environment and Development in the Euro­Mediterranean area. UNEP/MAP 48, Vassileos Konstantinou Ave., 11635 Athens, Greece www.unepmap.org Marine Litter Assessment in the Mediterranean 2015 © Isabelle Poitou / MerTerre © Isabelle Poitou ISBN No: 978­92­807­3564­2 2 3 Marine litter is a complex and multi­dimensional The assessment concludes that marine litter problem with significant implications for the marine management and reduction measures in the 2015 and coastal environment and human activities all Mediterranean need to be further developed, over the world. Consequently, integrated marine litter implemented and coordinated. It also highlights a assessments and urgent action have been called for number of points to be addressed to attain a better Preface by the most important relevant global and regional understanding of the challenges and to provide the processes including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable scientific and technical background for a consistent Development and SDGs. monitoring and science based prevention, reduction and management measures. In the Mediterranean, marine litter has been confirmed as a critical issue. The problem is Despite the uncertainties and knowledge gaps on exacerbated by the basin’s limited exchanges with marine litter, either related to their amounts, fate in other oceans, its densely populated coasts, highly the marine environment, or impacts, existing developed tourism, 30% of the world’s maritime evidence is more than sufficient to justify immediate traffic passing through and various additional inputs action toward implementing the measures of the THE MEDITERRANEAN IN ASSESSMENT MARINE LITTER of litter from rivers and very urbanized areas. Regional Plan on Marine Litter Management. To address the issue of marine litter in the This report is prepared at a time when all Contracting Mediterranean, UNEP/MAP was the first ever Regional Parties to the Barcelona Convention are finalizing Sea Programme to develop a Regional Plan on the their National Action Plans to combat pollution, Management of Marine Litter in 2013, providing for a containing programmes of measures, including on set of legally binding programmes of measures and marine litter prevention and reduction, and implementation timetables to prevent and reduce timetables for their implementation to achieve good the adverse effects of marine litter on the marine and environmental status. I am confident that Contracting coastal environment. Parties and stakeholders will find this report useful, as a valuable source of information and knowledge to This regional assessment report is delivered in set ambitious and realistic targets and select the conformity with Article 11(e) of the Regional Plan most effective reduction and prevention measures to that entered into force in 2014. The present report address the growing severe threat posed by marine outlines the findings of the assessment and includes litter to the marine and coastal environment. data published over the last five years in scientific and technical reports, activity reports and projects. The results of monitoring and national and regional studies on marine litter have been also integrated. It also provides data on waste and plastic inputs to the marine and coastal environment for each Mediterranean country. In addition to providing the most important sources of litter, it specifies changes in their composition and transport patterns, presenting updated results of modelling. Gaetano Leone Coordinator of the Mediterranean Action Plan Barcelona Convention ­ UNEP ECSDE ­ © Thomais Vlachogianni/MIO © Thomais 4 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 2 TABLE OF CONTENTS 2015 PREFACE 4 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 8 1. INTRODUCTION TO THE ASSESMENT 12 1.1. The general framework: UNEP’S Marine Litter Programme 13 1.2. The Mediterranean context 13 2. MARINE LITTER IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA 16 2.1. Origin, typology and pathways 18 2.1.1. Sources of marine litter in the Mediterranean 18 THE MEDITERRANEAN IN ASSESSMENT MARINE LITTER 2.1.2 Circulation 23 2.1.3 Typology of marine litter in the Mediterranean 24 2.1.4 Degradation of marine litter at sea 28 2.2. Distribution of Marine Litter in the Mediterranean (Regional, National, Local) 29 2.2.1 Beaches Regional surveys 29 2.2.2. Floating Litter on the surface of the Mediterranean Sea 31 2.2.3. Sea floor 34 2.2.4 Derelict fishing gear 36 2.2.5 Microplastics 40 2.2.6 Summary of litter data in the Mediterranean Sea 42 3. IMPACT OF MARINE LITTER IN THE MEDITERRANEAN 46 3.1. Impacts on wildlife 47 3.1.1 Entanglement / impact of derelict fishing gears 48 3.1.2. Ingestion 49 3.1.3 Transport of species/ New habitats 50 3.2 Marine litter and human health 51 3.3. Secondary pollution from marine litter 53 3.4. Socio-economic impacts 55 4. MARINE LITTER MONITORING PROGRAMS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN 58 4.1 Monitoring 59 4.2 Baselines and targets in the context of Monitoring Marine Litter in the Mediterranean Sea 61 5. MANAGEMENT AND REDUCTION MEASURES 66 ECSDE ­ 6. RESEARCH GAPS, KNOWLEDGES NEEDS, AND PROPOSALS AS BASIS FOR SETTING PRIORITIES 72 7. ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS 76 © Thomais Vlachogianni/MIO © Thomais 8. REFERENCES 78 6 7 Marine litter in the Mediterranean is a confirmed Compared to the 2008 assessment, this updated critical issue. The problem is exacerbated by the report provides data on waste and plastic inputs to 2015 basin’s limited exchanges with other oceans, its the sea for each Mediterranean country and specifies densely populated coasts, highly developed tourism, the most important sources of litter, changes in their 30% of the world’s maritime traffic passing through composition and transport patterns presenting Executive and various additional inputs of litter from rivers and updated results of modelling and provides a very urbanized areas. To address this critical issue, comprehensive review of existing data for the four UNEP/MAP developed the Regional Plan on the compartments of the marine environment (beaches, Management of Marine Litter in the Mediterranean. surface, seabed, and ingested litter). This updated It was adopted by Decision IG.21/7 of the Contracting report also provides original data and information on Parties of the Barcelona Convention at their 18th micro­plastics, on derelict fishing gear and their Meeting in Istanbul and provides for programmes of impact and details the general reduction measures, Summary measures and implementation