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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2023/feb/17/call-for-urgent-overhaul-of-australias-monitoring-of-astronomical-plastic-pollution-problem>
"The Australian Academy of Science has called for an overhaul of the nation’s
approach to studying plastic pollution, warning there is an over-reliance on
volunteers and a lack of consistent data to document the “astronomical”
problem.
About three-quarters of rubbish along Australia’s coast is plastic, posing a
threat to more than 690 marine animals including turtles and seabirds. CSIRO
researchers believe 43% of short-tailed shearwater birds in eastern Australia
have plastic in their gut.
There have been major surveys of plastic pollution on beaches, including the
Australian Marine Debris Initiative and the CSIRO’s international research
partnership. But the academy is calling for more regular surveys that have a
consistent approach and are collated in a national plastic pollution database.
“To stop pollution effectively you need to know its source, and knowing what
leaks into the environment and its origins is critical for that,” said Prof
Chennupati Jagadish, the president of the Australian Academy of Science.
“Just as we have national monitoring systems for emissions, outdoor air
quality, and wastewater for drugs or Covid, it should be possible to identify
some points to measure the amount of plastics entering our waterways to get a
more complete and regular picture.”
Most marine debris surveys are heavily reliant on citizen scientists. A CSIRO
plastic pollution survey was assisted by 3,500 volunteers while a University of
New South Wales-led project called on 150,000 volunteers. The National Litter
Index and AusMap are also reliant on citizen scientists.
“Citizen science is valuable and we are glad for the above initiatives,”
Chennupati said. “However, better data arrangements are required that would
allow for standard methodology, collection and harmonisation.
“They would also add more resilience, meaning we’re not reliant upon the
goodwill and the consistent availability of volunteers.”"
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
