The first initiative of the project "Porto Santo Sem Lixo Marinho" (Porto Santo Without Marine Waste) takes place on September 19th. It is a pioneer in Portugal, aiming to contribute to make Porto Santo island aware of its use of plastic.
The "Porto Santo Sem Lixo Marinho" (Porto Santo without Marine Waste) project which started earlier this month has a co-financing granted by the Environment Program of the EEA Grants and brings together Associação Natureza Portugal in association with WWF, AIDGLOBAL, ARM - Águas and Residues of Madeira, S.A., Porto Santo City Council and MARE - Center for Marine and Environmental Sciences in Madeira (hosted by the Agência Regional para o Desenvolvimento da Investigação, tecnologia e Inovação (MARE-ARDITI)). It also has the support of WWF Norway and the Secretaria Regional do Ambiente and Alterações Climáticas do Governo Regional da Madeira. Together, these partners intend to stop the leakage of plastics into the ocean and contribute to the differentiation and enhancement of the island of Porto Santo.
Ângela Morgado, the executive director of ANP | WWF explained that “The transition to a circular and sustainable economy involves the implementation of projects like this that focus on communities and promote cooperation and exchange of knowledge between authorities, companies and civil society, because they make the difference on a daily basis. For us in ANP | WWF, this is a very important project, as it is our first one outside the continental territory and we see it as a pioneer in our country for its relevance to the local community, for those who visit the island, for life, health and for nature.”
The first cleaning campaign will extend to coastal areas, but also to streams and other spaces that contribute to the accumulation of marine litter. This initiative is aimed more particularly at families according to the contingencies of the pandemic situation. This action will be registered and promoted on the Fundação Oceano Azul platform.
The project will be developed through three phases over the course of 18 months. In the first phase, an assessment of the flow and discharge of the island's waste and marine waste will be conducted, so that in the second phase all agents can proceed to optimize the management of this waste. In the third and final stage of the project, a communication and awareness campaign will be carried out that aims to radically reduce the consumption of disposables and the plastics that end up in the sea.
The characteristics of the island of Porto Santo, which were recognized in the UNESCO Biosphere Reserve category, are now recognized as the ideal setting for other valuations in this region. The project aims to test innovative mechanisms for the collection and recovery of plastic waste with the involvement of all stakeholders. Some of these actions range from occasional beach cleaning to creating a seal of commitment with local entities and putting in place a bottle collection system to creating an app that helps to identify critical points of plastic pollution.
With a resident population of more than 5000 inhabitants, Porto Santo is an Atlantic island of choice for tourists, reaching around 500,000 annual overnight stays in the hottest seasons. The amount of waste, essentially plastic, accumulated in this region is estimated to be high and it is urgent to make a concrete and accurate survey of this data. Subsequently, this data will be worked on and used in a more operational way to optimize the management of this waste on the island through a Community Management Plan.
Susana Damasceno, the President of Board in AIDGLOBAL, says that “being part of this project is to contribute to local and global development. Protecting marine life (SDG 14) is another step in the long path of action taking and awareness raising that we have started. This project has a special value because it takes place on the island where we have had a delegation for two years.”
For João Canning Clode from MARE-ARDITI, “this project will certainly boost the much-needed scientific knowledge about the problem of marine waste, namely trying to understand the real magnitude of the problem in Porto Santo”.
Amílcar Gonçalves, the president of the ARM Board of Directors says that “this initiative, in collaboration with the various entities involved will undoubtedly be a major step towards the promotion and improvement of the environmental and life quality of Porto Santo. More specifically, in terms of the management of this island's waste and its correct routing for proper treatment and/or final destination.”
For Idalino Vasconcelos, Mayor of Porto Santo City Council “within the scope of this city council´s mission, we have defined policies that promote sustainable development, implementing concrete measures aimed at improving the quality of life of its populations, in a strategy achieved through establishing several partnerships that strengthen it and take it further. ”
