Waste in the Sea- a Threat that joint Action of the Mediterranean Is Required and the Responsibility of each Individual
The problem of the waste in the sea and its solving at Montenegrin coast is in the top of agenda of activities of the Institute for Maritime Biology of the University of Montenegro in the last decade.
WELCOME project represents the continuing of intensive work of the Institute on the issue of waste in the sea which implementation began in April last year. We were talking about the WELCOME project with Milica Mandic, PhD, higher scientific associate and Chairman of the Laboratory for developmental researches and mariculture of the Institute of Marine Biology of the UoM.
UoM: WELCOME project has gathered Mediterranean countries- Montenegro, Italy and Albania, about the same problem- pollution of beaches?
MANDIC, PhD: Excessive exploitation of natural resources, urbanization, industrial growth and intensive tourism have left a serious mark on the Mediterranean beaches.
Beaches became the place of important concentration of the waste from the sea, which represents the growing threat to the living world of the sea and coastal areas, ecosystems and diversity. With waste, coastal erosion has further led to the deterioration of the quality of beaches reducing activities favorable for tourism and with negative socio-economic impact it has the negative influence on the quality of environment and attractiveness. Cleaning the beaches and formation of protective walls against erosion is most often implemented with mechanical equipment which further contributes to the coastal erosion and often these activities are implemented without adequate professional approach, legal and institutional framework.
UoM: What did researches show within the WELCOME project on pollution of Montenegrin beaches?
MANDIC, PhD: Comparative analysis of the results of current research found that the amount of the waste on Montenegrin beaches is significantly lower than the beaches in Albania and Italy, but they are quite polluted.
The project began its implementation in April, 2018 and after more than a year of project implementation, the monitoring of quantity, sort and distribution of the waste on three Montenegrin beaches (Great beach in Ulcinj, Beach in Becici and Mud beach in Igalo) during four seasons is implemented. The amount of the waste and its prevalence is estimated, the index of cleanness of the beaches is defined, mostly the types of the waste on beaches and gathered important amount of wood which will be used for forming of protective barriers in order to prevent the erosion of sandy beaches in the municipality of Ulcinj. The formation model of anti-erosion systems will be based on the sustainable and economically acceptable approach.
UoM: WELCOME project treats this problem through the reuse of the waste and coordinated activity of the institutions of three countries?
MANDIC,PhD: The main goal of the WELCOME project is oriented on the re-use of the wooden waste in order to form anti-erosion coastal systems through sustainable and economically accepted approach. Project activities consider the monitoring of several beaches on the Montenegrin coast, collection of waste and its reuse. Three scientific institutions from Montenegro, Italy and Albania as well as three very experienced public companies among which is PIMG from Budva are involved in the project.
The total budget of the project is 909.249.00 euros, of which the Institute has 112.600.00 euros.
Several actions of cleaning the shore and underwater, with involvement of volunteers, NGO sector and private companies, and all in order to raise the awareness about the importance of the problem and the urgent need to solve the problem of waste in the sea.
UoM: You say that awareness-raising activities at the individual level are very important within the project…
MANDIC, PhD: In this sense, lectures in primary schools in the entire Montenegrin coast, from Herceg Novi to Ulcinj, are held within the project, and we intend to organize them in the future, with the intention that children in school close the problem of waste in the sea, the impact of waste on life in the sea, ecosystems and coast, as well as the importance of the role of each individual in the process of solving this problem.
UoM: What has been done in terms of legislation and recommendations of EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive?
MANDIC, PhD: The activities of this project are closely related with the recommendations of EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) in which the special descriptor is dedicated to the problem of waste in the sea. Montenegro, as future EU member, is obliged to implement programs of monitoring the conditions of waste on the beaches, and the data obtained through this project is a great basis for starting the national monitoring of the waste on beaches and in the sea.
The detailed analysis of the national legislation and compliance of national regulations with the recommendation of international conventions and European regulations in order to give recommendations for improvement and introduction of terminology ‘’waste in the sea’’ in the national legislation is done.
When the word is about the sustainability of the project results by its completion, it is important that networks of experts in the Adriatic Sea have been established and the possibility of comparing results at the regional level, as well as networking with international expert bodies and working groups dealing with the same issues.