Citizen Science for Marine Litter Monitoring and Management

Citizen Science - a method of engaging the public in the conduct of scientific research or data collection and analysis - has been implemented in an array of research for well over a century now (Rudy, 2021). However, its application in the water sciences is relatively recent and is growing (Njue et al., 2019; Zheng et al., 2018). According to the University of Gothenburg, the vision established for the UN Decade of Ocean Science 2021-2023  - “The Science we need for the Ocean we want’ - played a role in the ‘explosion’ of the high level of appreciation for the application of Citizen Science in the marine environment, at the global level.
 
The Enhancing Marine Litter Management in Manila Bay (EMLM) is the first Foreign-Assisted Project initiated by the DENR with the objective and primary focus on addressing marine litter. It is also the first project implemented through FASPS that places emphasis on integrating Citizen Science as a means to increase social participation and awareness, in sustainably reducing and eradicating marine litter in one of the major centers of economic activity in the country (Manila Bay).
 
As part of its output, the 1st training program conducted by the project shared knowledge on various marine litter monitoring survey methodologies that were successfully employed by other countries including South Korea, Australia, Chile and Indonesia. These methods that were shared with working level officials and staff of primary stakeholders of the project (i.e. DENR central and field offices, Non-Government Organizations and Academe) primarily included the implementation of Citizen Science combined with the use of a data platform / application.
 
The training underscored the effectiveness of Citizen Science on marine litter as an effective tool for decision making, given that it enables the identification of sources of pollution. As an example, the Tangaroa Blue Foundation in Australia implemented a campaign to address the cigarette butts that were found to be one of the most common single use plastic litters affecting the reefs and waterways in the country. The cigarette butts were identified and classified as a marine debris signature through the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI). AMDI combines the use of Citizen Science and an online database used for standardizing the classification system for recording marine debris. The AMDI database basically serves as a venue to contribute, store and access data as a way to facilitate, measure and develop local Source Reduction Plans.
 
Essentially, the EMLM project aims to replicate and apply these methodologies, among other initiatives in the country, so as to help identify and address marine litter at its source.