Raising awareness and promoting co-responsibility on marine litter across all European seas
WHY IS MARINE LITTER A PROBLEM?
Marine Litter – any persistent manufactured or processed solid material that is discarded, disposed of or abandoned in the marine and coastal environment – is globally recognised as an emerging threat to the environment, human health and safety, as well as livelihoods.
Marine litter originates from various land- and sea-based sources. It is a complex and challenging problem, which stems from the prevailing production and consumption patterns, and from how we deal with waste.
WHAT IS THE GOAL OF MARLISCO?
MARLISCO’soverarching goal is to raise public awareness, facilitate dialogue and promote co-responsibility among the different actors,towards a joint vision for the sustainable management of marine litter across all European seas.
WHERE DOES MARLISCO TAKE PLACE?
MARLISCO activities take place in the four European Regional Seas: North-East Atlantic, Baltic, Mediterranean and Black Sea, by a consortium with members located in 15 coastal countries.
HOW WILL MARLISCO ACHIEVE ITS GOALS?
By developing innovative mechanisms and tools, MARLISCO aims to effectively engage, inform and empower society, reaching the widest possible audience. Its activities include:
- A scoping study of the sources and trends regarding marine litter in each Regional Sea.
- A collection of best practices from all partner countries.
- A survey on the prevailing perceptions and attitudes of different stakeholders regarding marine litter.
- A European video contest for youngsters to collect their visions on the issue of marine litter and empower them as agents of change in society.
- National debates in 12 partner countries.
- Diversified, tailor-made national activities including exhibitions, workshops, festivals, clean ups, etc.
- A wealth of awareness raising & educational tools and activities including pedagogical materials, trainings, e-games, web-documentary, etc.
The Consortium
The MARLISCO project team is a diverse group of 20 entities (local authorities, researchers, NGOs, producers, recyclers and multimedia companies) with a wide geographic coverage:
Provincia di Teramo, Italy (Lead Partner) ● Coastal and Marine Union, Netherlands ● Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, United Kingdom ● University of Plymouth, United Kingdom ● European Plastics Converters, Belgium ● European Plastics Recyclers, Belgium ● MerTerre, France ● Regionalni Razvojni Center Koper, Slovenia ● University College Cork, National University of Ireland, Ireland ● Mare Nostrum, Romania ● Die Küsten Union Deutschland, Germany ● IsoTech LtD, Cyprus ● Union of Bulgarian Black Sea Local Authorities, Bulgaria ● Plastics Europe AISBL, Belgium ● Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Portugal ● Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development, Greece ● Turkish Marine Research Foundation, Turkey ● Kommunernes Internationale Miljøorganisation, Denmark ● Honky Tonk Film, France ● Media Tools, France
Project facts
Project Title: MARine LItter in Europe Seas: Social AwarenesS and CO-Responsibility (MARLISCO)
Project Duration: 36 months from 1 June 2012 – 31 May 2015
Project Coordinator: Mrs Doriana Calilli, Provincia di Teramo, marlisco@provincia.teramo.it
MARLISCO is a FP7 project funded by the European Commission.
