MEDCIS Workshops - Litter, 23rd February 2018, Athens Deliverable 1.1 „Determination of the GES in the Mediterranean, gap analysis, priority needs to improve coherence“ Sašo Gorjanc (IWRS) MEDCIS Workshops - Litter, 23rd February 2018, Athens medcis.eu

Task 1.3: Adjusting GES and targets of marine litter Work in this tasks builds on existing knowledge and achievements under legal commitments under EU MSFD and UNEP/MAP, ongoing developments under the EU Commission Decision revision (2017/847) and outputs from projects, that addressed marine litter in the last years Focus on existing data in the Mediterranean sea on debris in the different compartments for macro and micro litter and microplastics

MEDCIS Deliverable 1.1 This document is the first main outcome of the MEDCIS Activity 1. It determines the main gaps and priorities to improve the coherence of the approaches implemented by Mediterranean EU countries to define GES, set environmental targets and assess the gap between the actual status of the ecosystem to the GES Here we will review the Marine Litter section of the report, authored by Galgani, F., Peterlin M., Kovač Viršek, M., Gorjanc, S., Zeri, C., Paramana, T., Chalkiadaki, O., Dassenakis, M.

Analysis of existing approaches for determination of GES and determination of targets A number of key data gaps: Unequal spread data-sets are available, while not all MSs have fulfilled marine litter MSFD monitoring and data collection Some of the indicators are poorly covered. Esp. lack of data concerning offshore waters Unknown marine litter and microplastics spatial distribution, pathways, and fate Baseline and threshold values determined so far based on limited existing information More information needed to determine optimum marine litter monitoring Limited knowledge about negative effects of marine litter on marine ecosystems

The available information is not adequate for the Mediterranean MSs to set quantitative thresholds related to the reduction of marine litter stranded on beaches. Furthermore, this is even a larger problem for floating and seabed litter and microplastics. It can be very challenging to detect clear reduction trends in the sea that can be associated to the implementation of measures in a particular area.

OVERALL GES ASSESSMENT: All MSs, but Malta have defined GES at descriptor level Generally, the amount of litter should decrease over time (all, but Cyprus) Spain and France included marine litter degradation products in their definitions The socioeconomic and ecological impact of marine litter was specified by France, Slovenia, Croatia, and Cyprus France, Slovenia, and Croatia linked D10 to biodiversity descriptors Only, Slovenia and Spain approach the descriptor in a quantitative way (baselines, thresholds) Level of coherence is moderate Level of integration with other EU/international legislation is rather low

Priorities needs in terms of methodology development and recommendations for improving coherence in the Mediterranean region 4 priority groups: Sources Modelling tools Harmonization of sampling protocols Harm GES TG (Veiga et al., 2016) recommendations: Data collection & site characterization Allocation of likelihoods of marine litter items originated from different potential sources Approach to attribute likelihoods Step further to strategies & measures

Need agreed international monitoring methodologies for monitoring riverine litter Harmonisation of sampling protocols for the sea floor and microplastics needed Monitoring of impacts on biota is challenging Entaglement Ingestion Chemical transfer (chemical contamination) Vector for transport of biota Socioeconomic harm Risk assessments Very limited knowledge regarding ghost fishing (costs and practical difficulties)

RESEARCH PRIORITIES: Identify marine litter pathways (model simulations) Marine litter hotspot mapping (focus on lost fishing gear) Determine the sinks for marine litter Design a GIS platform to support the integration of monitoring data List pathogen and IAS settled on litter Evaluate the effects of marine litter on ecosystems (ecotoxicological studies) Evaluate the distribution of microplastics Rationalisation of monitoring Define specific baselines and targets Identify new indicator species and define impact thresholds Evaluate loss of fish stocks due to ghost fishing Locate ghost nets to support collection

RESEARCH PRIORITIES: Identify marine litter pathways (model simulations) Marine litter hotspot mapping (focus on lost fishing gear) Determine the sinks for marine litter Design a GIS platform to support the integration of monitoring data List pathogen and IAS settled on litter Evaluate the effects of marine litter on ecosystems (ecotoxicological studies) Evaluate the distribution of microplastics Rationalisation of monitoring Define specific baselines and targets Identify new indicator species and define impact thresholds Evaluate loss of fish stocks due to ghost fishing Locate ghost nets to support collection

MEDCIS STRATEGY: Promote and disseminate the master List of Categories of Litter Items and protocols to support harmonised monitoring Focus on microplastics Synthetic review of existing data on D10C2 & identification of the most relevant sources Updating the existing protocols defined by GES TG ML The harmonisation of protocols, data collection processes & the definition on baselines & targets Analyse currently available data from different research projects & literature Define baselines for microlitter Possible specific measures for combating microplastics in the Mediterranean will be identified (alongside the targets) Disseminate the protocols to the stakeholders and actors involved in microplastic monitoring and management

Thank You!