Plastic pollution is one of the most serious
ecological problems affecting the seas and oceans. Every minute the equivalent
of a plastic garbage truck is dumped into it, threatening marine life and our health. The Mediterranean Sea, due to its
semi-enclosed nature, is particularly impacted by this pollution. It is now
considered to be the most polluted sea in the world.
Faced with this more than alarming observation,
the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, Surfrider Foundation Europe, the
Tara Expeditions Foundation, the MAVA Foundation and IUCN have decided to act
together within the Task Force “Beyond Plastic Med” (BeMed), in order
to raise awareness and mobilise civil society and stakeholders around concrete
actions.
Now an association, BeMed has been working in
this way since 2015 to support and encourage the networking of Mediterranean
actors committed to fighting plastic pollution, to implement effective and
sustainable solutions, to contribute to the search for new alternatives but
also to encourage the sharing of good practices. Each year, BeMed supports
effective field actions, encouraging the sharing of experience within its
network. 38 micro-initiatives have already been supported in the Mediterranean
basin.
In 2020, 16 new projects in 11 different
countries will expand the network:
Involvement of Nile fishermen for
the collection of plastic before its arrival at sea and awareness raising of
the populations. VeryNile Association – Egypt
Establishment of a low-tech
recycling workshop to manufacture spare parts from plastics recovered from the
environment on the Elba island. Blu Oltremare Association – Italy
Reducing the use of single-use
plastics on cruise ships. Isotech Ltd Environmental Research and Consultancy
– Cyprus
Use of a low-tech plastic recycling
workshop to raise awareness and encourage people to rethink their consumption
patterns. Human Environmental Association for Development (HEAD) – Lebanon
Creation of a platform bringing
together actions against plastic pollution in the agri-food sector. Wise
Greece Association – Greece
Commitment of the industrial sector
to think and implement concrete solutions in Sfax. Association de la
continuité des Générations – Tunisia
Raising awareness among the
population, working with tourism stakeholders to reduce plastic pollution on
Farwa Island. Bado Environmental Association Lybia – Libya
Creation of a resource bank for
teachers to integrate plastic issues into their teaching program. Nature
Trust Malta – Malta
Revival of Albanian traditions as an
alternative to plastic. Doctor Vet in CommunityAssociation – Albania
Recovery at sea and recycling of
fishing nets to raise awareness of the impact of this pollution on the marine
environment. Zibel Association – Malta
Research of alternatives to the food
packaging of products derived from palm trees in collaboration with the
municipalities of the oases of the Gabès region. Association Citoyenneté et
Développement Durable (ACDD) Gabès – Tunisia
Development of a citizen dynamic and
implementation of a local action plan with civil society actors. Association
pour la protection de l’Environnement et le Développement durable de Bizerte (APEDDUB)
– Tunisia
Replication of the Clean up the Med
protocol and accompaniment of the actors of the Euro-Mediterranean network in
the implementation of targeted awareness campaigns. Centre de découverte Mer
et Montagne (CDMM) – France
Working with municipalities in 13
coastal governorates and the Ministry of the Environment to prevent
uncontrolled deposition in watercourses. Tunisie EcologieAssociation
– Tunisia
Evaluation of the impact of the
microplastics present on our beaches on marine turtles. SPOT Association
(Society for the Protection of Turtles) – Cyprus
Engaging youth in raising public
awareness. NVO Our action – Montenegro
The BeMed network which today extends to 15 different countries for a total of 54 supported projects. The yellow dots indicate the location of the supported organisations, the orange dots the organisations supported twice and the blue dots the actions selected in 2020.