National fora on marine litter

The National fora on Marine Litter were implemented successfully between April 2014 and April 2015 in 12 European countries.

Each individual forum consisted of an expert panel providing access to the most up to date research and scientific information about marine litter. The fora provided a non-confrontational and inclusive environment for participants to discuss marine litter and its impact.

The forum structure brought together multiple individuals from different sectors to partake in debate regarding the best solutions to marine litter. Many countries also included the option for public groups that could not attend the event to attend remotely through the option of live webcasts of the fora. In total 1540 stakeholders were engaged during the forum process.

The aim of each individual fora was to promote discussion between multiple stakeholders across various sectors including industry representatives, the public, environmental concern groups, non-governmental organisations, and national/regional policy and decision makers.

Results have indicated that the fora were viewed as a positive experience, with participants reporting a difference in their perception of marine litter. By working collectively with members of the scientific community, stakeholders, and the public the outcomes from the fora are being used to constructively address the detrimental impact of marine litter throughout Europe.

National reports will be made available from each of the partner countries and many will be made available through the MARLISCO website. For further information on national fora please choose from the country flags to the right of this page.

Download the report of the outcomes for each of the twelve national events and for all four regional seas