29 Sep 2014 Story Oceans & seas

2014 NOWPAP ICC campaign and workshop

2014 NOWPAP International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) was organized in Boryeong, Republic of Korea on 25-26 September 2014.

The annual event comprised a beach cleanup campaign and a workshop on marine litter management. NOWPAP marine litter focal points,  representatives of national and local governments in the NOWPAP member states (China, Korea, Japan and Russia), NOWPAP partners of GPA, PEMSEA and GESAMP, universities, academic institutes and environmental NGOs participated in the event.

Opened by the Minster of the Oceans and Fisheries of Korea (MOF), the beach cleanup brought also several hundreds of local school kids and citizens who joined NOWPAP participants to collect and classify the marine litter on the beach and record in the ICC data cards.

The marine litter workshop was opened by the Deputy Minister of MOF and attended by about 50 participants, featuring management efforts by central and local governments, best practices in dealing with sea-based marine litter and international cooperation.

During the 2014 NOWPAP ICC, a brief working meeting was organized in which NOWPAP marine litter focal points and representatives of NOWPAP regional activities centers reviewed the progress made on marine litter management by NOWPAP members and shared information regarding the implementation of the NOWPAP Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter for 2014-2015.