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Tackling plastic pollution together: Examples of international collaboration for the monitoring and reporting of microlitter (including microplastics).
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Researchers described international laboratory networks established through the UK's Commonwealth Litter Programme (CLiP) and Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) to build scientific capacity for microplastic and marine litter monitoring in Global South countries. The study presents examples of cross-border collaboration that provided infrastructure, training, and standardised methodologies to enable partner nations to produce reproducible and comparable data on plastic pollution entering the oceans.
Global solutions to reduce plastic pollution must be grounded in robust scientific evidence. Global collaboration is vital, however the access to suitable scientific infrastructure is often a limiting factor in the production of scientific outputs. The Commonwealth Litter Programme (CLiP) and the Ocean Country Partnership Programme (OCPP) were developed so the UK could partner with Global South countries, working together to take actions on plastics entering the oceans. A laboratory network was developed to provide the infrastructure and in country capacity to conduct the collection and processing of microplastics in environmental samples. The network was also extended to include a network developed by the University of East Anglia (UEA), UK. The current laboratory network is composed of 15 facilities in Vanuatu, Belize, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia. The network is mainly composed of governmental bodies and universities. All the laboratories were provided with similar equipment for the collection and analysis of microplastics. Harmonised protocols and training were also provided in country. Such large networks are needed to produce large-scale comparable baseline and monitoring assessments. Another example of regional cooperation is the OSPAR Convention currently assessing beach litter, seabed litter, plastic particles in fulmar stomachs and litter ingested by sea turtles, as part of its Coordinated Environmental Monitoring Programme. To date monitoring, and assessment of microlitter (including microplastics) have not been included. The OSPAR Microplastic Expert Group (MPEG) is working on a recently approved common indicator on microlitter, including microplastics, in seafloor sediments. The new indicator will address occurrence and abundance of microplastics in marine sediments for the OSPAR Maritime Area (regions I to V). Here we will discuss some outputs from the international laboratory network as well as the monitoring guidelines to report microlitter (including microplastics) for seafloor sediment for the OSPAR Maritime Area. Also see: https://micro2024.sciencesconf.org/559590/document
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