A future of clean oceans requires islands free of marine litter, which is why the event MARLICE ISLANDS 2023 was created, driven by the Government of the Canary Islands and the Spanish Association on Marine Litter (AEBAM).

This first international forum on marine litter & circular economy in islands environment, held on March 7 and 8 in Puerto de la Cruz (Canary Islands) will count on the presence and expertise of MedWaves, which has recently expanded its field of actions and worked closely with Mediterranean islands through the BeMed-Islands capitalization process.  

The two-days event will address the problem of marine litter from the singularity of isolated territories, seeking solutions on a local scale and bringing together experiences, studies and policies on islands in different seas and oceans of the planet. An approach that echoes the expertise of MedWaves, who has established a successful community of expertise to capitalize on concrete solutions to scale up the fight against plastic pollution in the Mediterranean Islands. 

During the event, the team will present the regional context in which the activities take place and will state the many successes of the Barcelona Convention and the efforts made against plastic pollution, before entering the heart of the activities and presenting the concrete actions put in place as part of the BeMed-Islands capitalization process.  

Maximizing synergies among initiatives has been one of the main intentions of the capitalization process, implemented by MedWaves and SMILO for BeMed supported projects in Mediterranean islands.  

The main results and impacts of the project will be presented at MARLICE ISLANDS, such as the Declaration of Frioul, the publication “Hope for the future” as well as the main achievements concluding a successful collaboration among all the key actors involved. By doing so, MedWaves keeps committed to disseminating best practices of the BeMed-Islands community. 

The Declaration of Frioul, a joint statement for further action 

The BeMed-Islands capitalisation process ended its first phase with a joint statement expressing the members’ willingness to continue collaborating. In total, 26 organizations across the Mediterranean have endorsed the Declaration of Frioul for Mediterranean islands free from plastic pollution, presented during a final capitalization event in the archipelago of Frioul in November 2022.  

Hope for the future 

Tackling plastic pollution in Mediterranean islands requires know-how and motivation. But also hope, and this is what the report Hope for the future: successful solutions for plastic pollution in the Mediterranean islands by the BeMed-Islands Community intends to convey. This 60-page report dives into the main results and the lessons learnt through personal interviews with project beneficiaries. In addition, the event’s attendees will be able to agree on the next steps to continue working as a community. Beyond the factual limits of the CapiMed-Islands project lies a sea of collaboration and exchange to prevent plastic pollution in the Mediterranean. 

Through the two years of collaboration, MedWaves and SMILO have conducted the capitalisation process resulting in a dynamic community eager to make a change in the topic of plastic pollution. The challenge is still there, and upcoming opportunities will allow members of the community to continue the joint work.  

  Intervention of the MedWaves team: 

• 7th March, 12.00 – 13.45: Governance session. Magali Outters, about the Barcelona Convention framework and main actions of MedWaves to support a better governance for the prevention of plastic pollution 
• 8th March, 15:30 – 16:15: Solutions to prevent marine litter. Pedro Fernández, about the results of the BeMed-Islands capitalisation process, specific outputs by projects  

Click here to see Marlice’s Conclusions