Saving the Black Sea Issue 8, June 2005 Credits && Acknowledgements Select your language: EN BG GE RO RU TR UA Official Publication of the Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution and the GEF Ecosystems Recovery Project

BSC and UNEP Take Action Against Marine Litter

It is well recognized that marine litter poses a threat to the environmental health and the sustainable use of the seas. A lot of attention was given to the issue by the UNEP Governing Council on the Regional Seas Programme through the support of the utilization of the Regional Seas’ conventions and Action Plans as a platform for the regional implementation of multilateral environmental agreements and global programs and initiatives. In the resolution “Oceans and the law of the sea” a special recommendation was made on focusing the consultative process, among others, on the marine debris. Another important step was the adoption of the decision on the Waste management at the Eight Special Session of the UNEP Governing Council in March 2004 in Jeju, Republic of Korea.

As a practical followup of the UNEP decisions and within the process of amendment and updating the Strategic Action Plan on the Rehabilitation and Protection of the Black Sea (BSSAP) a new regional initiative on the marine litter started, supported jointly by the Black Sea Commission and the UNEP Regional Seas Coordinating Office (RSCO). The objective of this initiative is to assist in the environmental protection and sustainable management and development in the Black Sea region.

The Activity is planned to start with the preparation of a comprehensive Review Document on the Marine Litter in the Black Sea addressing the issue both nationally and regionally. For that purpose all existing data and information on marine litter in coastal and marine environment should be made available and subsequently analyzed. Special attention will be given to the existing capacity and institutional setup including the legal instruments in force in each of the coastal states. Having in mind the need for best use of the limited resources on hand a careful identification of the gaps and needs will be carried out, taking into consideration the opportunities for cooperation with the ongoing international programs and looking for synergies where possible.

One of the expected outcomes of the review is the development and implementation of monitoring and assessment programs at the national and regional level. Data on the quantity, composition and distribution of the marine litter throughout the region will be collected and assessed, using specific methodologies based on the positive experience from other regions and adapted for the conditions of the Black Sea.

The core component of the BSC/UNEP co-operative action is the elaboration of a “Framework Document” for a Regional Activity on Marine Litter. The document is to be developed in the context of the BSSAP and should present the strategic approach, identify the potential partners and possible funding source for the implementation of the operational activities needed:

• Enhancement of the regional and national legal and administrative instruments;
• Implementation of national and regional monitoring and assessment programs including suggested methodologies;
• Development of strategies on integrated management of marine litter (including regional guidelines for the wise management of the coastal and marine litter);
• Implementation of cooperation programs with the civil society (private sector, NGOs and academia) through developing partnerships, voluntary agreements and cooperation with the major stakeholders (e.g., shipping industry, tourism industry, fisheries, manufacturers of plastics, waste managers/services, local authorities, municipalities and communities, NGOs and general public);
• Development of campaigns and/or permanent services for the cleaning and collecting of solid wastes that pollute coastal and marine areas; Demonstrations through awarenessraising campaigns in selected destinations and with selected stakeholders;
• Participation, as the Black Sea region in annual International Coastal Cleanup Campaigns (September of every year);
• Development of “responsible citizenship” guidelines for different sectors and target audiences, in particular: children and students, tourists, municipal authorities and local communities, shipping companies, ship and smaller vessels crews; commercial and recreation fishing vessels, and other identified target groups;
• Public awareness and education campaigns through the preparation of brochures in various languages, the use of the media, etc.;
• Development of professional sectoral guidelines for the wise management of marine litter (e.g., tourism, boating, diving, cruise lines, fisheries, coastal construction);
• Development and improvement of waste management policies and systems;
• Identification and approach to potential funding sources (including Governments) for various components and activities of the Regional Activity on Marine Litter in the Black Sea; and
• Development of strategies and approaches for funding high cost initiatives (such as port reception facilities, landfills, fisheries, etc.), These should include approaches to the World Bank, Regional Investment Bank, Global Environment Facility (GEF) and other international financing institutions.

The first annual Coastal Cleanup Campaign in the Black Sea Region will start in September 2006.
Based on the “Framework Document” a special proposal for amendment of the BSSAP on the marine litter management will be prepared by the BSC Permanent Secretariat. It is expected that it will be adopted by the Ministerial Conference in 2007.

Plamen Dhzadzhev

Executive Director,
Permanent Secretariat
Commission on the Protection of the Black Sea Against Pollution

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