Scottish Islands Federation Marine Litter Working Group nominated for Nature of Scotland Award!
The Scottish Islands Federation have been turning the tide on marine litter through their extensive efforts to plug the information gap on the scale of the problem on Scottish Island beaches, providing vital evidence to support urgent action to mitigate its detrimental impacts on island communities, wildlife and habitats.
Marine litter is a global challenge that poses ecological, economic and public health concerns.
SIF recognised that the complex and often highly polluted Scottish island coastlines were underrepresented in marine litter monitoring efforts. Consequently, policies and legislative frameworks do not adequately represent the islands, exacerbating their vulnerability to the adverse impacts of marine litter.
To address this gap, SIF has been working in partnership with the MCS since the winter of 2022/23 to implement a robust, citizen science project using internationally agreed methodology to collect data on the extent and composition of marine litter on the Scottish islands. The project involves ongoing quarterly data collection efforts by local Development Trusts, Community Companies, Community Councils, and other bodies concerned with the sustainability of island communities. Volunteers from these groups survey the litter on their local beaches, recording its abundance, likely sources and composite materials, uploading tally and weight data to the MCS beachwatch database.
Results from 2023 show 156 island surveys were completed by 772 volunteers with 47% of litter coming from fishing and aquaculture sources compared to 10% in Scottish mainland surveys. This also showed an increase of over 110% in the amount of surveys from across the Scottish Islands compared to 2022.
To get involved in the surveys, please email marinelitter@scottish-islands-federation.co.uk