Poster abstracts and manuscripts from the Third International ...

O'Hara, Kathy
Marine Debris Outreach Campaign in the Wider Caribbean
Center for Marine Conservation, Hampton, Virginia, USA
73
During an 11-month study in 1993, the Center for Marine
Conservation surveyed individuals in 29 countries in the Wider
Caribbean about the problem of litter on beaches, and the sources
of that litter. A report entitled, Marine Debris Outreach
Campaign in the Wider Caribbean, prepared for the United Nations,
has been published.
Based on interviews, literature searches, on-site visits, and
data collected during volunteer beach cleanups, both land-based
and ocean sources of coastal litter were identified as
contributing to the problem of marine debris.
This display features examples of upland discharges of litter
that eventually become marine debris. Sources of this debris
include littering by the general public, runoff from streets and
rivers, beach visitors, open dump sites, coastal dumping, and
inadequate sewage treatment systems.
In the Caribbean, each island nation suffers from trash
improperly disposed of by a neighboring island. The term "trash
trading" indicates that what starts out as litter from an upland
source, can, due to rains, and winds, eventually reach the sea,
and float to the shores of another island. Thus upland trash
from one island often becomes a coastal problem for another
island.
Improper solid waste disposal practices have negative effects on
coastal areas. These include, destruction of aesthetic beauty,
injury to beach visitors, negative impacts on tourism and loss of
income from tourism, cleanup expenses, destruction of marine
ecosystems, harm to coastal and marine wildlife.
Education programs about solid waste issues and marine debris
should be directed to both the local population as well as
visitors. The general public should be informed about proper
disposal of plastic food packaging, and domestic household
wastes.
A successful campaign will involve local people in the planning
of educational materials, be island specific, and be
multilingual. The International Coastal Cleanup, with data
collection, is cited as an education, community based project
that is hands-on in nature, and helps to solve the litter problem
from offshore and land-based sources.
The Center's outreach plan includes working with specific sources
of debris, holding workshops, and developing public service
announcements. Phase II includes establishing a monitoring
program on debris and seven other community based activities.
The campaign helps residents, visitors, and the international
community realize the need to eliminate marine debris from the
waters of the Wider Caribbean.