We are so delighted that the work of SIF and many volunteers from across the islands was recognised with our project, Island Communities Pushing Back the Marine Litter Tide, announced as a finalist in the Coasts and Waters category at the RSPB Nature of Scotland Awards Shortlist Reception, held at the Scottish Parliament, hosted by Graham Simpson MSP and sponsored by Suntory Global Spirits!
Marine litter is a worldwide problem that affects the environment, economy, and public health. It poses a particular challenge for the Scottish islands, which have long, complex, and often remote coastlines situated in waters bustling with marine industries. Gathering data on the scale and sources of litter is difficult and often relies on volunteers. As a result, the often heavily polluted island coastlines were overlooked in efforts to monitor marine litter, and understanding of beach litter in Scotland and the wider UK didn’t fully capture the reality faced by many island communities. This increases the island’s vulnerability to the negative impacts of marine litter and makes it harder to develop effective solutions to address the challenges.
To help fill the information gap, SIF set up a Marine Litter Working Group (SIF-MLWG) to bring island communities together in finding solutions to their marine litter problems. Since winter 2022/23, the group has been working in partnership with the Marine Conservation Society to run a citizen science project using internationally recognised methods to gather data on the amount and types of marine litter on Scottish islands. The main goal is to improve understanding of Scottish beach litter, and highlight the need for island specific support to address litter sources, clean-up efforts, responsible disposal and promote circular economy practices.
With financial support from the Scottish Government, the Highlands and Islands Environment Foundation and Crown Estate Scotland, and now also the Scottish Fishermen’s Federation and HIE through the Argyll & Bute Innovation Fund, SIF-MLWG and a growing network of volunteers and local environmental groups have worked diligently to undertake ongoing quarterly marine litter surveys.
Building on an initial pilot, SIF members worked hard to get as many surveys completed in 2023 as possible to start a robust dataset so policy change can be called for to reduce the specific types of marine litter washing up on their beaches. In 2023, 156 island surveys were completed by 772 volunteers, a 148% increase in surveys from across the Scottish islands compared to 2022! The results showed that 59% of the litter recorded could be attributed to marine industry sources – fishing, aquaculture and shipping – compared to only 15% of items recorded in Scottish mainland surveys.
The RSPB Nature of Scotland Awards recognise individuals and organisations making a difference across local communities, schools, and businesses to support Scotland’s wildlife and natural environment. It was amazing to be nominated and we would like to thank all the volunteers, and the Marine Conservation Society for supporting this work, our funders and the nominating committee.
The winners of all 10 categories will be revealed at a celebratory event held at the Edinburgh International Conference Centre (EICC) on the 28 November, where the 53 finalists will gather. RSPB Scotland has been running the awards for over a decade, and is grateful for the support of our many supporters and sponsors including our 2024 headline sponsor NatureScot. This year’s ceremony will be hosted by BBC Landward presenters and nature enthusiasts Dougie Vipond and Arlene Stuart.