The Coordinating Body on the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), the Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML) and the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA) held a Training of Trainers on Monitoring and Assessment of Marine Plastic Litter and Microplastics on 9-13 September 2019 in Bali, Indonesia. The training was co-hosted by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of Indonesia and the Regional Capacity Center on Clean Seas (RC3S) and implemented in partnership with Universitas Udayana and Open Universiteit.
The Training built the foundation for course participants from national ministries and research institutes to develop monitoring and assessment programmes for plastic marine litter. In classroom sessions and a series of field visits, trainees applied various survey methods following the Guidelines for the Monitoring and Assessment of Plastic Litter in the Ocean, processed data samples, shared good practices and identified opportunities for continued capacity building in the region.
Participants called for continued knowledge sharing and peer learning and for a harmonization of monitoring methodologies and frameworks based on existing global and regional standards and guidelines. They welcomed additional trainings and support through COBSEA and the GPML to deepen understanding of survey methods and to build capacity for robust data analysis to inform marine litter planning.
The Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML) is a multi-stakeholder partnership that brings together all actors working to prevent marine litter and microplastics. By providing a unique global platform to share knowledge and experience, partners are able to work together to create and advance solutions to this pressing global issue. Join the partnership here: https://gpmarinelitter.org/form/join-us
