Description of impact
The impact of marine litter is a widely known issue that has been recognized as one of the main growing obstacles hindering a safe environment. This matter combined with the over growing concerns of climate change impact and pollution, has presented a gap in knowledge when it comes to policy and decision making in recent years for a safe and healthy marine environment.Marine litter is also a matter that is well tied with common waste sources and studies tackling various solid waste generation sources of terrestrial nature. Waste generation, across multiple sectors, is a known issue in the Arabian Gulf where rapid economic growth has placed additional stress on infrastructure and coastal communities. While data is limited to such matters, scant studies have been conducted in the Arabian Gulf region which demonstrate that marine litter is posing a clear and growing threat to the environmental and socioeconomic prosperity of the region.
This White Paper (an output from the Marine Litter workshop organised by the Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Science from the 9th to the 11th of November 2020), is formulated to dissect and understand the issue of marine litter within the Arabian Gulf; in particular, focusing on the State of Kuwait. A committee was formulated with members from local and international parties, namely the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas - UK), the Kuwait Institute for Scientific Research (KISR), Kuwait Foundation for the Advancement of Sciences (KFAS), Kuwait University (KU) and Kuwait Environment Public Authority (KEPA) to compile a framework for establishing and implementing a Kuwait focused “Marine Litter Action Plan” is proposed. This framework stems from gathered experiences and published results which revolves around five main pillars that are interconnected to the current policies: Governance, action plan, research and monitoring, awareness and education, and legal framework. A clear requirement for regionally coordinated baseline surveys to gain a better understanding of the composition and main sources of marine litter in the region, is also suggested. As for the governance, it is foreseen that establishing both an entity for regional response and a taskforce term of reference are essential steps in the future roadmap. On the other hand, and pertaining future research prospects, it is quite elementary to develop an Action Plan with objectives, actions, time frames and implementation mechanisms with relevant stakeholders.
Such key stages include:
• Scoping and Stakeholder mapping
• Data gathering (community/stakeholder meetings, research and development requirements)
• Consultation and Formulation (policy options, national committee workshops)
• Review and Adoption
| Impact date | Apr 2022 |
|---|---|
| Category of impact | Public policy impacts |
Category of impact
- KFAS White Papers