On 27th August, a team from Venice Lagoon Plastic Free travelled to Spain to perform a marine litter monitoring session of the waste found along the coastline south of Barcelona. Using the dedicated app, developed as part of H2020 project MAELSTROM, we collected, identified, and recorded the type and size of marine litter strewn along the Platja Cà L’Arana.
This marine litter monitoring in Barcelona took place as part of our ongoing partnership with WWF. Find out more about the results of our monitoring session below.
Why the Platja Cà L’Arana?
Located at the mouth of the river Llobregat, the Platja Cà L’Arana is a stretch of sandy beach just below Barcelona. It’s a protected nature reserve granted ZEPA (special protection area) status due to the rich ecosystem of its sand dunes and delta, which houses a variety of vegetation.
Who are WWF?
A globally recognised association, WWF is the World Wildlife Fund. WWF is a non-governmental organisation with offices around the world, working towards the protection of our planet and its diverse nature. WWF has launched a variety of different initiatives over the years, including the Plastic Smart Cities initiative which currently involves 36 cities, and for which Venice has put into place a plan of action.
Marine litter monitoring in Barcelona: the results
Using the dedicated marine litter monitoring app developed as part of the Horizon 2020 project MAELSTROM, we collected and recorded the marine litter found in a 100m area along the shoreline of the Platja Cà L’Arana. The team collected a total of nearly 800 items of marine litter during the monitoring session – the most common of these items were: polystyrene pieces, unidentifiable fragments of plastic between 2.5cm and 5cm, bottle caps and lids, cotton buds, and sanitary napkins.
Venice Lagoon Plastic Free is a local organisation with elevated international connections, thanks to the professional background of its management as well as the status of Venice and its lagoon. This area is a celebrated UNESCO Heritage Site, and acts also as a laboratory from which to develop, test, and replicate innovative systems and solutions in the monitoring, removal and recycling of marine litter.
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