We can't find the internet
Attempting to reconnect
Something went wrong!
Hang in there while we get back on track
Tackling plastic pollution together: Examples of international collaboration for the monitoring and reporting of microlitter (including microplastics).
Summary
Researchers developed an international laboratory network of 15 facilities across Vanuatu, Belize, South Africa, Sri Lanka, the Maldives, Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia through the Commonwealth Litter Programme and Ocean Country Partnership Programme, providing harmonized equipment, protocols, and training to enable comparable microplastic monitoring in Global South countries. This collaborative infrastructure approach demonstrates how large laboratory networks with standardized methods are essential for producing large-scale baseline assessments of microplastic pollution.
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
Sign in to start a discussion.
More Papers Like This
Tackling plastic pollution together: Examples of international collaboration for the monitoring and reporting of microlitter (including microplastics).
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.
Creation of an international laboratory network towards global microplastics monitoring harmonisation
International programs established a network of microplastics research laboratories across Global South countries, providing standardized equipment, training, and protocols. This effort aims to build local scientific capacity and ensure that microplastic monitoring data from different regions can be meaningfully compared, which is essential for understanding the true global scale of plastic pollution.
A field and laboratory manual for sampling, processing and reporting microplastics in coastal and marine environments
This paper presents a comprehensive, standardized field and laboratory guideline for sampling, processing, and reporting microplastics in coastal and marine environments, developed through international collaboration. The harmonized protocols aim to improve comparability of data across global monitoring programmes.
Joint effort among research infrastructures to quantify the impact of plastic debris in the ocean
This collaborative overview coordinated monitoring of marine plastic debris across multiple research infrastructures, finding widespread and persistent contamination and calling for harmonized international observation protocols.
Standardised protocol for monitoring microplastics in sediments. Deliverable 4.2.
This paper presents a standardized protocol for monitoring microplastics in marine sediments, developed as part of an international project to harmonize sampling and analysis methods across different research groups. Having consistent protocols is essential for generating comparable data to track plastic pollution trends over time and location.