Marine Trash Monitoring Program on Beaches — 2018

Quantification, composition of marine litter in 13 beaches of Portugal. The Marine Waste Monitoring Programme on beaches uses the beach litter indicator to respond to the Marine Strategy Framework Directive on state assessments, impacts and trends of litter on the marine environment and Portugal’s commitments under the OSPAR Convention. The Marine Waste Monitoring Program on beaches in mainland Portugal started to include, in 2018, two more beaches: Praia Aberta, Pedrógão, and Furadouro Sul, Ovar, being the realisation of the campaigns of responsibility of the Municipality of Leiria and Ovar respectively. In the autumn campaign, the municipality of Vila Nova de Gaia joined the monitoring programme with the beach of São Félix da Marinha. During 2018 we also received the results of the 2016 campaigns, 2017 and 2018 of 6 beaches in the Autonomous Region of the Azores that also became part of the Programme, responsibility of the Regional Directorate for Sea Affairs, Directorate of Biodiversity Services and Sea Policy.