Assessing and mitigating the harmful effects of plastic pollution: the collective multi-stakeholder driven Euro-Mediterranean response

The Mediterranean Sea is one of the areas in the world most affected by marine litter. The main aim of this paper is to reflect on the key outcomes of the special session entitled ‘Harmful effects of plastic litter and mitigation strategies in the Mediterranean Sea’, which was organized within the framework of the SETAC Europe 28th Annual Meeting. The event highlighted the harmful effects of plastic pollution in the Mediterranean and brought forward multi-stakeholder and multi-level efforts to tackle it effectively. This commentary provides an overview of: a) the harmful effects of plastic litter on Mediterranean biodiversity and a three-fold assessment approach to detect impacts with the use of bioindicator species; b) the monitoring and mitigation strategies implemented within the frameworks of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the Barcelona Convention Regional Plan for Marine Litter Management in the Mediterranean; c) the essential role of NGOs in strengthening the science-policy-society interface to address marine litter and in making effective connections between scientific knowledge and societal actions; d) the role of industry in addressing marine litter with a special focus on the potential application of biodegradable plastics in the aquaculture and the fisheries sector, and e) the barriers but also the enabling conditions needed to address the issue effectively. This paper also underlines one of the main challenges of our era: the gap between science, policy and society and how this could be closed towards achieving effective decision-making and comprehensive actions against marine litter.