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Participatory mapping of transboundary pollution: the case of Imperial Beach, California
Summary
Researchers used participatory mapping and citizen science to document beach litter along the U.S.-Mexico border at Imperial Beach, California, finding that plastic was the dominant material at 52.6% of all debris, with inadequate waste management, tourism, and cross-border pollution inflow identified as primary drivers.
Introduction Transboundary pollution is a major global challenge and monitoring beach litter along international borders can reveal some of the pathways by which litter enters water bodies, and hence advance the implementation of measures to prevent pollution emissions into international waters. Methods In this paper, participatory mapping was used to detect beach litter in Imperial Beach, California, along the U.S.-Mexico international border. This study implemented a 3-step protocol including an introductory awareness workshop, a macro-debris survey to categorize and remove beach litter, and a qualitative assessment of pollution drivers. Results Results show that plastic litter is the most dominant across all transects (304 debris, 52.6% of all litter observations), with an average density of 76 pieces/transect, with plastic being the most common material. Participants identified some of the major causes of pollution with paucity of waste management facilities, tourism activities near/on the beach, and inflow of pollution across the border. Discussion The paper highlights the role of citizen science in monitoring pollution along large and border regions. Implications of this study include methodological and practical contributions to the study of marine pollution to supplement the current paucity of information on pollution movement and distribution.