In the last decade, the coasts of the Province of Chubut, and especially its Coastal and Marine Protected Areas, showed an increase in the accumulation of plastics on the beaches, mostly of fishing origin. This motivated that, beyond the actions carried out by government agencies, multiple self-organized cleaning activities were generated in order to restore coastal areas and mitigate their impacts.
These voluntary cleanups are carried out on the basis of an environmental commitment on the part of neighborhood associations, civil society organizations, establishment owners and municipalities. However, there is a need for greater articulation and adaptation of actions to current regulations in order to regulate, optimize resources, join efforts, contemplate wildlife calendars and manage access to private properties. In addition, in cases where activities are carried out in Protected Areas, it is imperative to schedule actions, be aware of the management and zoning plans in force and have a public procedural guide.
In this context, the Technical Committee on Fishing Waste of the Province of Chubut, formed by the Ministry of Tourism and Protected Areas, the Secretariat of Environment and Control of Sustainable Development and the Secretariat of Fisheries, held this meeting with the aim of compiling recommendations that take into consideration all the visions and experiences to form a manual of good practices for coastal cleaning in the Protected Areas of the Province. The initiative was co-organized with the Forum for the Conservation of the Patagonian Sea and Areas of Influence and was supported by the National Parks Administration through the Southern Patagonia Interjurisdictional Coastal Marine Park and the CCT CONICET-CENPAT.
“Addressing socio-environmental issues such as plastic pollution from fishing requires a legitimate sectoral integration for the development of joint and articulated work guidelines. That is why this first meeting was a pending task. It has been an enriching and necessary experience” (Diego González Zevallos, CONICET and MaRes Project).
The event brought together different profiles of researchers, waste pickers, recyclers, owners, businessmen, volunteers, local representatives of government agencies and civil society organizations, with a common goal: to coordinate efforts, generate specific recommendations and move towards a participatory model of coastal management.
The activity is part of the MaRes Project, which aims to strengthen the resilience of Argentina’s coastal and marine protected areas, and is financed by the European Union.
Key areas of debate
The meeting provided a valuable space for exchange among actors involved in multiple actions for the remediation and cleanup of coasts affected by plastics from fishing activities.
Among the issues highlighted were common challenges related to the logistics of activities such as the selection of sites, often located in remote and difficult to access areas. Along the same lines, the planning of the final disposal of waste was addressed to ensure rapid removal and proper treatment of recovered materials, where the articulation with recycling organizations and the selection of appropriate technologies is essential.
“We share the concern of not naturalizing plastics in the landscape” said Mirta Lewis (Director of CCT CONICET-CENPAT) at the opening. “This call not only aims to prevent waste from becoming part of the visual environment, but also to prevent further deterioration in the conservation values of protected areas.”
Additionally, given that these are Marine Protected Areas with specific management plans and conservation values, it is key to consider the associated regulations and wildlife calendars to minimize the impact of cleanup activities on the environment.
Another point on which the participants agreed was the need to generate a common database that would allow all cleanup teams to participate in the updating of monitoring indicators. In this way, it would be possible to improve the monitoring and evaluation of the problem and the impact of cleanup actions in the long term.
The participants recognized the fundamental role of awareness and communication as a tool to break the gap between the social perception of “nobody does anything” and the actions that are carried out and are not well visible, which also promotes misinformation.
Integral strategy and next steps
Based on the results of this meeting, the Provincial Technical Committee and the MaRes Project’s fisheries plastic reduction component will produce a formal document of procedures. This document will include the adjustments and suggestions of all the intervening parties and will be the main input for a manual of good coastal cleanup practices with the objective of providing a guide for future cleanup and conservation actions in the Marine Protected Areas of Chubut.
This manual will be added to the integral strategy for the reduction of plastics of fishing origin, which includes censuses, cleanups, collection, final destination of waste and systematization of information. It will also be complemented with other objectives of the MaRes Project related to aerial surveys to identify critical areas, training for key actors and the implementation of good port practices to prevent fishing crates from reaching the sea.
“No one can do everything, but we can all do a part of it.”
Coastal cleanup is not only a technical action, but a cultural construction. As Nadia Bravo, Undersecretary of Conservation and Protected Areas, pointed out: “no one can do everything, but we can all do a part of it”. This meeting is important not only because of the agreements reached, but also because of its integrative approach, which recognizes the diversity of actors, realities and challenges.
The conservation of Natural Protected Areas will not be possible without genuine co-responsibility, where each sector assumes its role and contributes from its capacities. In this sense, the event made it possible to make visible that coastal protection is the beginning of a new relationship with our marine ecosystems and the community.