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- Lixo marinho: consciencializar para atuarPublication . Bettencourt, Sara; Costa, Sónia; Caeiro, SandraEste e-book é um recurso pedagógico sobre o tema lixo marinho. A deposição e acumulação de resíduos sólidos no meio marinho – lixo marinho – é um problema emergente com significativos impactes ambientais, sociais e económicos. As estimativas apontam para a existência de milhões de toneladas de lixo no oceano, um valor que se prevê continuar a aumentar. É imperativo minimizar a acumulação de lixo marinho, através de ações tanto individuais como coletivas, conforme o e-book refere.
- Marine litter: a review of educative interventionsPublication . Bettencourt, Sara; Costa, Sónia; Caeiro, SandraMarine litter is claimed to be one of the most meaningful environmental crises of the century. Education that supports behavior change is a tool to tackle this problem. However, there is a lack of research linking educational initiatives and marine litter issues. A literature review was conducted through a bibliometric and content analysis to explore the state of knowledge regarding educational actions. The results revealed that 2019 was the year with the highest number of publications and that 83.4% of the documents were collaborative efforts. Concerning educational approaches, hands-on and technological activities are being explored to raise awareness and stimulate behavior change. Students and questionnaires represent, respectively, the most common audience and evaluating method. More integrative actions and respective long-term methodological triangulation evaluation were identified as necessary in future studies. This paper is expected to contribute to innovative knowledge in the area by identifying the main gaps in the literature.
- Public perceptions, knowledge, responsibilities, and behavior intentions on marine litter: Identifying profiles of small oceanic islands inhabitantsPublication . Bettencourt, Sara; Freitas, Diogo Nuno; Costa, Sónia; Caeiro, SandraMarine litter is a global threat, particularly on oceanic islands where the problem is exacerbated. Perceptions, knowledge, awareness, and attitudes towards the theme are crucial in its mitigation and prevention. This study assessed these points through a questionnaire to the inhabitants of a Portuguese archipelago. Data revealed that people associate marine litter with plastic and its impacts and are well informed about its sources and pathways. Yet, the degradation rates of marine items were frequently underestimated and the problem of marine litter was attributed, among others, to littering, single-use products, and excessive packaging. Some individuals did not consider themselves responsible for reducing marine litter, attributing responsibilities to third parties. The youngest group, men, and students were the ones who reported less litter-reducing intentions and behaviors. Distinct profiles were traced using the questionnaire’s answers, highlighting who needs marine litter literacy. Individuals who do not consider marine litter a current threat and live in a community that does not care about marine litter (profiles 1 and 2) were the groups that needed deeper intervention, due to their low perception and understanding of the problem. Marine litter literacy, management, and governance measures are necessary so that the public recognizes marine litter as a current threat, is worried about its impacts, avoids plastic use, and choses re-useable products (profile 4). In the studied oceanic islands, results indicated marine litter is not fully perceived by the public. A global and transformative shift in the way people are educated and behave towards waste and pollution is required, thereby highlighting the importance of increasing public perceptions assessment and marine litter literacy in the society.
- Monitoring marine litter on Funchal beaches (Madeira Island): insights for litter managementPublication . Bettencourt, Sara; Lucas, Carlos; Costa, Sónia; Caeiro, SandraMarine litter is a complex and multi-dimensional problem, with beach litter surveys being an important cost-effective tool for monitoring and assessing marine litter pollution. In Madeira Island (Portugal, NE Atlantic), a region awarded several times as ‘Europe’s Leading Island Destination’ and with a particular orography, there is a scarce understanding of the situation of marine debris. A two-year monitoring (July 2020 to April 2022) of macro-litter was conducted on two beaches in Funchal, the largest city and capital of the island. The abundance, composition, sources, and pathways of the stranded marine litter were assessed following OSPAR guidelines. During the two years, a total of 14,265 items were recorded. The mean litter density was found to be 0.29 items/m2 and the beaches’ clean index ranged between ‘very clean’ and ‘dirty’. Cigarette butts (30.9%) and plastic objects (30.7%) were the most frequent marine litter items, followed by paper/cardboard (9.2%) and metal items (8.3%). The composition of the litter showed that most of the monitored marine debris has a land-based source, with a strong contribution from smoking-related activities and littering in streams. By characterizing the waste and identifying its source, it was possible to propose integrated management actions at a local level. Outreach and raising awareness campaigns, together with actions to limit single-use plastic items and stimulate a circular economy, could contribute to limit marine litter on the studied island but also in other regions with similar profiles.
- Marine litter and waste managementPublication . Bettencourt, Sara; Caeiro, SandraExplicação sobre o problema do Lixo Marinho, seus impactos e possíveis soluções integradas numa abordagem de gestão de resíduos (em inglês).
- Marine litter education: from awareness to actionPublication . Bettencourt, Sara; Freitas, Diogo Nuno; Lucas, Carlos; Costa, Sónia; Caeiro, SandraMarine litter is a global problem. Education has been acclaimed as a potential tool to tackle this issue, yet, integrative, student-centered, and over weeks studies to raise awareness on the theme that compares pre- with post-intervention results are limited in the literature. Furthermore, almost no studies rely on the basis of previous experience on the theme and local reality. This paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of an educational intervention to raise awareness and educate students (1st cycle to high-school) about marine litter. Different learning skills were fostered through theoretical, laboratorial, and hands-on activities and students participated in a beach clean-up to summarize the classroom's learnings in loco. Pre- and post-questionnaire results indicate that students' knowledge, perceptions, and behavioral intentions changed. Identification of marine litter estimated degradation times and observation of microplastics in local sand samples were activities highly appreciated by youngsters. This intervention positively impacted schoolchildren's literacy, contributing to advancing education in marine litter and can be further adapted to other educational areas.