29 July 2014: MEDASSET applauds the entry into force of the Regional Plan on Marine Litter Management in the Mediterranean, on 8 July 2014, within the framework of the Barcelona Convention. Marine litter is polluting the Mediterranean’s ecosystems and is a direct threat to the survival of protected species, such as sea turtles which are especially vulnerable to injury or death due to entanglement or consumption of litter. We encourage and support Mediterranean countries that are now bound by this Plan, to take swift action to implement policies and activities that will ensure litter-free seas and coasts. The announcement issued on 23 July 2014 by the United Nations Environment Programme/Mediterranean Action Plan is available here.
For further information: Ms. Konstantina Kostoula, MEDASSET. (+ 30)-210-3613572, konstantinakostoula[@]medasset[.]org
Editor’s notes:
1. Since its founding in 1988, MEDASSET is a Partner to the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) of UNEP.
Information on MEDASSET’s recent marine litter monitoring and educational activities:
- Poster: Marine litter and sea turtles: Results of MEDASSET’s activities
- Campaign: Join in & Clean up
- Campaign: Small Garbage
- Campaign: You See the Difference – A Turtle Does Not
2. The Barcelona Convention is the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean, adopted in Barcelona on 16 February 1976, by Mediterranean countries and amended on 10 June 1995 to address sustainable development challenges. All the 21 countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea and the EU are Parties to the Convention. The Barcelona Convention and its Protocols are the legal basis of the Mediterranean Action Plan, the first Regional Seas Programme developed in the framework of the United Nations Environment Programme.
