Marine litter and microplastics Links

1. Some of the websites providing factual information on Marine litter and microplastics:

   • 1. UN organizations:
   • 2. Regional assessments
   • 3. Governmental programmes
   • 4. Industry initiatives

1. UN organizations:

• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) offers an information gateway on marine litter, covening many agreements and projects:
  http://marine-litter.gpa.unep.org/framework/global-next.htm 
• The UN General Assembly is building a process for assessing the state of the marine environment:
  www.unga-regular-process.org/ 
• The Transboundary Waters Assessment Programme addresses the challenges of managing the cooperations needed for managing transboundary ecosystems.
  http://twap.iwlearn.org/ 

2. Regional assessments

• The Coordinating body on the seas of east asia of UNEP as pblished a report on marine litter in that region:
   www.cobsea.org/documents/Meeting_Documents/Marine%20Litter/Marine%20Litter%20Report%202008.pdf
• The Caribbean Environment Program has an assessment program that covers marine litter among other things:
  www.cep.unep.org/about-cep/amep 

3. Governmental programmes

• The USA’s NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) has a program on marine debris:
  http://marinedebris.noaa.gov/welcome.html 
• The European Commission’s Environment Directorate covers the issue of marine litter:
  http://ec.europa.eu/environment/marine/good-environmental-status/descriptor-10/index_en.htm 
• The European Commission has adopted directive 2008/56/EC that establishes marine environmental policy:
  http://eur-lex.europa.eu/LexUriServ/LexUriServ.do?uri=CELEX:32008L0056:EN:NOT 

4. Industry initiatives

• Operation Clean Sweep is an international program designed to prevent the loss of resin pellets into the environment:
  www.opcleansweep.org/