Reducing the impacts of plastic waste in the Eastern Pacific Ocean

塑料泄漏到环境中是一种巨大的系统故障，威胁着海洋生态系统，并在全球范围内造成物理和化学污染。据估计，每年有1200万吨塑料进入海洋，这已迅速成为全球关注的问题。这种塑料污染每年造成的经济损失约为130亿美元，原因是环境退化、旅游业收入损失以及清理和修复费用。在东太平洋沿岸国家厄瓜多尔和秘鲁，这是一个特别的问题，这两个国家拥有具有重要生态、经济和保护意义的海洋，拥有地球上其他地方找不到的大量特有物种，包括鱼类、爬行动物、鸟类和哺乳动物。这种独特的生物多样性的健康对世界主要捕鱼区之一和不断增长的旅游业非常重要，支持沿海人民的各种生计和粮食安全，其中许多人非常贫穷。拉丁美洲生产和使用的塑料总量占全球塑料产量的4%。据估计，其中45%的垃圾管理不善，每年产生约100万吨管理不善的塑料垃圾，如果不采取行动，预计到2025年将翻一番。这一挑战需要一种区域范围的方法，使环境、经济、技术和社会学科能够结合在一起，以建立对造成问题的许多因素、其影响以及如何解决问题的了解。在过去三年中，我们在整个区域建立了一个充满热情和积极参与的网络，致力于为厄瓜多尔、秘鲁和智利的持久变革设计和实施解决方案。我们的网络与每个国家的研究机构、国家公园管理人员和环境部有着密切的关系。我们的愿景是减少东太平洋地区的塑料泄漏，支持塑料可持续循环经济体系的发展。我们提出了一个综合的、多学科的项目，有三个核心目标。我们将确定塑料污染的来源和驱动因素，包括绘制整个区域的废物流动图，并对关键行业使用的材料进行生命周期评估。其次，我们将确定当前席卷该地区的塑料污染对经济、生态、健康和福祉的关键影响。第三，我们将实施和测试缓解和减少塑料污染的干预措施，并帮助该地区实现塑料循环利用。由于我们已经在与该地区的利益攸关方合作，我们准备了一些共同设计的干预措施，准备立即进行测试。这些创新包括帮助简化对基于新技术的清理行动的监测，以及试验一项以社区为基础的创新计划，以回收渔网。作为一项激动人心的全地区教育活动的一部分，旨在为内陆和沿海学校和社区开展有针对性的提高认识活动，将邀请学生设计干预措施，将城市塑料泄漏降至最低。我们将测试这些想法的可扩展性和有效性。除主题1和主题2中产生的数据外，对这些数据的评价将有助于设计和测试进一步的社会、环境和技术创新。为了确保研究达到最大影响，该联盟的合作伙伴包括南美政府机构和部门、非政府组织和在该地区与沿海社区接触方面拥有丰富经验的企业，以及英国和南美大学之间的平等合作伙伴关系，以通过合作和培训发展当地的研究能力。

The presence of plastic leaking into the environment is a system failure of monumental proportion that threatens the marine ecosystem and causes physical and chemical contamination at a global scale. It is estimated that 12 million tonnes of plastic enters the oceans each year and this has rapidly become a global concern. The economic damage of this plastic pollution amounts to around USD13 billion per annum due to degraded environments, loss of revenue from tourism, and costs of clean up and repair. This is a particular issue in the Eastern Pacific rim countries of Ecuador and Peru which host seas of great ecological, economic and conservation importance with high levels of endemic species, including fish, reptiles, birds and mammals, found nowhere else on earth. The health of this unique biodiversity is important to one of the world's key fishing areas and a growing tourism industry, supporting a variety of livelihoods and food security for the coastal people, many very poor. The total amount of plastic produced and used in Latin America represents 4% of the plastic produced globally. It has been estimated that 45% of this is inadequately managed, generating around 1 million tonnes of mismanaged plastic waste annually, and predicted to double by 2025 if no action is taken. This challenge requires a regional scale approach that allows environmental, economic, technical and social disciplines to come together to build understanding of the many factors contributing to the problem, its impacts and how it can be solved. Over the last three years we have established an enthusiastic and engaged network across the region committed to designing and implementing solutions for lasting change in Ecuador, Peru and Chile. Our network has strong relationships with Research Institutions, National Park managers and Environment Ministries in each country. Our vision is to reduce plastic leakage in the Eastern Pacific region, supporting development of a sustainable, circular economic system for plastics. We propose an integrated, multidisciplinary project with three core aims. We will establish the sources and drivers of plastic pollution including the mapping of waste flows across the region and life cycle assessments of materials used in key industries. Secondly, we will identify the key economic, ecological and health and wellbeing impacts of the current plastic pollution that pervades this region. Thirdly, we will implement and test interventions to mitigate and reduce plastic pollution and help progress the region to circular approaches to plastic. As we are already working with stakeholders in the region, we have some co-designed interventions ready to test immediately. These innovations range from helping streamlining the monitoring of novel-technology based clean-up operations to trialling an innovative community-based scheme to recycle fishing nets. As part of an exciting region-wide educational campaign to develop targeted awareness-raising for inland and coastal schools and communities, students will be invited to design interventions to minimise urban plastic leakage. We will test the scalability and effectiveness of these ideas. The evaluation of these, in addition to data generated in Theme 1 and Theme 2 will support the design and testing of further social, environmental and technical innovations. To ensure the research achieves the maximum impact, the consortium partners include South American government agencies and departments, NGOs and business with extensive experience of engaging coastal communities in the region and equal partnerships between UK and South American universities to develop local research capacity through collaboration and training.