good practices in Portugal
Coastwatch Portugal
Awareness and mitigation campaign
Local: Portugal
Time course: Every year since 1989
Promoters: GEOTTA
Stakeholders: NGOs, schools, municipalities, private groups, scouts, natural parks and the general public.
Coastwatch is a coastal monitoring program that started in 1987 in Dublin, Ireland. This program was implemented in Portugal by GEOTA, a non-governmental organization for the environment, in 1999. Since that date, GEOTA has been responsible for organizing annual monitoring campaigns involving schools, local authorities, protected area administrations, NGO and other groups .
This program, with a strong environmental education component, promotes active citizenship in school communities and allows for significant monitoring of the coast, including the monitoring of existing marine litter. In some cases, beach cleaning is carried out, associated with the monitoring program.
The 22nd Coastwatch Campaign in Portugal (November 2011 to March 2012) 4764 participants of all ages and from different sectors, where the involvement of 324 teachers and 3524 students stands out. In total, 742.5 kilometers of coastline were monitored.
The Coastwatch Portugal Campaign was considered one of the 11 best practices in Europe for the reduction of marine litter. This selection was carried out within the scope of the MARLISCO project, through a voting process where 72 European examples were considered.
Deserted - Clean Sea
Awareness and mitigation action
Local: Deserted Islands - Madeira
Time course: 2006-2007 (World Earth Day Celebrations)
Promoters: Madeira National Park and Madeira Oceano's Diving Club
Stakeholders: Madeira Maritime Zone Command, Santa Cruz Municipality, Montepio Geral Bank, Santa Cruz Yacht Club, Santa Cruz Schools, ILMA – Madeira Dairy Industry and Focusnatura.
During the World Earth Day celebrations on April 22, seabed cleanings were carried out on the Desertas Islands, in the Madeira archipelago.
About 30 divers collected garbage from the bottom of the sea, which was later delivered to schools in the Municipality of Santa Cruz. Students from these schools sorted and sent waste for recycling and also participated in a competition for drawings and handicrafts with garbage. This set of activities aimed to alert the public to the problem of marine litter.
Blue Flag Campaign in Europe
Awareness, prevention and mitigation action
Local: Portugal
Time course: since 1987
Promoters: European Blue Flag Association
Stakeholders: European Commission, Public and private entities related to the sea, municipalities, NGOs and the general public.
The European Blue Flag Campaign, an initiative of the Foundation for Environmental Education (FEE), began on a European scale in 1987, as part of the European Year of the Environment programme. Its objective is to sensitize citizens and policy makers to the need to protect the coast and the sea and encourage activities that contribute to solving existing problems in these areas.
This campaign annually awards the “Blue Flag of Europe” award to beaches, marinas and pleasure boats that meet a set of criteria in the areas of environment, safety and comfort for users and information and environmental awareness.
Campaign to reduce free plastic bag distribution
awareness campaign
Local: Portugal
Time course: Since 2008
Promoters: Quercus
Stakeholders: Policy makers, political parties, supermarkets and the general public.
QUERCUS has promoted since 2008 the use of reusable bags instead of disposable bags. This awareness campaign aims to raise awareness of the need to take measures to reduce the free distribution of plastic bags by replacing them with reusable bags or other actions that promote the reuse of bags.
Alvor Estuary Cleaning
Awareness and mitigation action
Local: Alvor Estuary
Time course: Once a year since 2001
Promoters: A Rocha Association
Stakeholders: EMARP, students and general public
Every year Associação A Rocha carries out a cleaning action in the Alvor Estuary, which is part of the Natura 2000 Network. Cleaning is carried out by volunteers, usually local or foreign students. This action has had the collaboration of the EMARP company, which provides cleaning equipment such as gloves and garbage bags, and also transports the collected waste.
The Alvor Estuary is a very visited place, especially by shellfish collectors, who abandon various objects used in the place. The lack of garbage containers or regular cleaning on site led the Association to start these actions.
Clean-up the Atlantic
Awareness and mitigation action
Local: Cascais
Time course: Once a year since 2008
Promoters: Cascais Environment and Cascais Ecological Group
Stakeholders: Portuguese Association for Underwater Fishing and Apnea (APPSA), Cascais Exclusive Divers Diving Center, fishing community, divers and the general public.
The “Clean-up the Atlantic” is a seabed cleaning action carried out every year in the Cascais Bay that has as its objective. This action aims to raise public awareness of the problem of marine litter, its impact on marine life and, at the same time, encourage the practice of diving in the municipality.
The initiative is open to all volunteers with experience in diving and also to the rest of the public who can participate by helping divers to transport garbage to the beach. At the end of the action, the garbage is weighed and exposed for a few hours in Cascais Bay, in order to provide the population with a better awareness of the type of waste deposited on the seabed.
ECOS-Local Program
Awareness and mitigation action
Local: Portugal
Time course: Since 2009
Promoters: League for the Protection of Nature
Stakeholders: National Scout Corps (CNE), SEPNA
ECOs-Locals is a national project that aims to promote environmental citizenship, a more active and informed participation of young people in society and increase awareness and participation in the prevention and resolution of environmental problems, helping to build a more sustainable world. The oceans and coastal areas are one of the main themes addressed in the program, whose actions are generally translated into cleaning up of coastal areas.
This project is aimed at organized groups of young people. In its implementation phase, in the years 2009 and 2010, it involved groups of scouts from the National Scout Corps, aged between 14 and 22 years. The project indirectly involves family, friends, schools and local communities. ( http://ecoslocals.lpn.pt/ )
Cleaning actions of the River Gilão
Awareness and mitigation action
Local: Tavira
Time course: These actions started before 1997. The most recent campaigns took place annually since 2004, except in the years 2008, 2009 and 2011.
Promoters: Municipality of Tavira
Stakeholders involved: General public
The Municipality of Tavira occasionally organizes cleanings of the Gilão River in Tavira, open to the public.
Campaign to launch paid bags
Prevention action / Market instrument
Local: Portugal
Time course: Since 2007
Promoters: sweet drop
In 2007, the Pingo Doce supermarket chain replaced the free distribution of plastic bags in their boxes with paid bags, with a unit value of 0.02€, promoting their reuse. According to data from Pingo Doce, in five years the distribution of plastic bags decreased by 47% in weight, which is equivalent to 7667 tons less bags in landfills.
Coastal Habitats Management Plan
mitigation action
Local: Cascais
Time course: Since 2011
Promoters: Cascais Environment
The Coastal Habitats Management Plan aims to restore the natural conditions of the coast. One of the monitored points is the accumulation of waste on the coast of the municipality. Places with identified residues are cleaned.
Maré Viva Program
Awareness, prevention and mitigation action
Local: Cascais
Time course: During the bathing season since 1999
Promoters: Cascais Municipality
Stakeholders: Young people from Cascais, tourists and the general public
The Maré Viva Program is a free time occupation program for young people during the summer holidays. This program promotes a healthy occupation of young people's free time, while allowing for support to beach users, namely providing information on tourism, the environment and public health.
Participants carry out different activities such as maintaining safety conditions, cleaning the beach and distributing beach ashtrays. They also provide environmental information and raise awareness among tourists and beach users about environmental issues, including marine litter.
The program is open to young people between 15 and 21 years old in Cascais. All participants take a Beach Protection Information Course before starting their activities, where they are taught communication techniques, legislation, health promotion, environment and tourism.
Ocean Initiatives
Campaign to raise awareness and mitigate marine waste
Local: Portugal
Time course: Since 1998
Promoters: Surfrider Foundation Europe. In Portugal there are delegations in Viana do Castelo, Porto, Peniche, Ericeira, Lisbon and Azores.
Stakeholders: Municipalities, private sector and general public.
Ocean Initiatives is a worldwide campaign organized by the Surfrider Foundation, a non-profit environmental organization dedicated to protecting the oceans, waves and beaches through conservation, activism, research and education. This organization was founded in 1984 by a group of surfers from Malibu, California. It currently has more than 50,000 members and 90 delegations around the world.
In Portugal there are currently delegations in Viana do Castelo, Porto, Peniche, Ericeira, Lisbon and Azores.
The Ocean Initiatives in Portugal began in 1998, through the Viana do Castelo Delegation, the first to be created.
The various delegations establish partnerships with municipalities and other organizations to carry out beach cleaning throughout the country, especially during the first weekend of spring.
Sesimbra Coast Cleaning Program
Campaign to raise awareness and mitigate marine waste
Local: Sesimbra
Time course: since 2000
Promoters: Caving Center of Costa Azu l
Stakeholders: Municipality of Sesimbra, Clube Naval de Sesimbra and the general public
The Sesimbra Coast Cleaning Program includes several cleaning actions on beaches, coves and caves, which are difficult to access and are heavily affected by marine litter. The garbage collected is separated and sent for recycling, especially glass and plastic. These activities also aim to sensitize the population to the problem of marine litter through the dissemination of the results of the campaign in the media.
Regular beach cleaning
mitigation action
Local: Portugal
Time course: Undefined
Promoters: coastal municipalities
Every year, several coastal municipalities clean beaches before and during the bathing season. These actions normally take place more frequently in the summer to maintain good health and safety conditions on the beach for bathers.
Waste reception facilities in Portuguese ports
Preventive legislative measure
Decree-Law No. 165/2003, of July 24)
Local: Portugal
Time course: Since 2003
Promoters: Portuguese government
Stakeholders: Ports, ships, waste management companies
O Decree-Law No. 165/2003, of July 24th aims to regulate the installation and use of port facilities for receiving ship-generated waste and cargo residues from ships calling at national ports. This measure is intended to reduce discharges into the sea in order to increase the protection of the marine environment. This decree defines the conditions that allow all ships to deliver waste to port reception facilities before leaving the port, in accordance with the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL 73/78).
This Decree-Law is the result of the transposition into the national legal order of Directive no. 2000/59/EC, of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 27 November (with the amendments introduced by article 10 of Directive no. 2002 /84/EC, of the European Parliament and of the Council, of 5 November).
Cleaning of Ria Formosa
Awareness and mitigation action
Local: Tavira
Time course: Once a year since 1999 (except 2010 and 2011)
Promoters: Municipality of Tavira and Santa Luzia Parish Council
Stakeholders: TaviraVerde, Algar and the general public
Every year, the Santa Luzia Parish Council, in partnership with the Municipality of Tavira, Tavira Verde and Algar, organizes a cleaning of the Ria Formosa with the help of volunteers.
Santo André beach cleaning
Awareness and mitigation campaign
Local: Saint Andrew
Time course: Once a year (June) since 2006
Promoters: Adventure Coast Association (ALA )
Stakeholders: Municipality of Santiago do Cacém, Parish Council of Santo André, ICNF/Natural Reserve of Lagoas de Santo André and Sancha, Voluntary Firefighters of Santo André, Captaincy of the Port of Sines, Coastal Control Unit of the Republican National Guard, Quercus, National Corps of Escutas (Group 581), League of Friends of Santo André and the general public.
Since 2006, cleanings of the beaches of Santo André have been organized for one day in June, with the collaboration of several public and private entities. These actions have the annual participation of more than 100 volunteers, including children and adults.
Sea Brigade Project
Awareness and mitigation action
Local: Grandola
Time course: Every year since 2009 (two weeks in May)
Promoters: Sea Brigade Volunteer Group
Stakeholders: Municipality of Grândola and the general public
The Brigada do Mar Project is an environmental intervention project for cleaning beaches that has been carried out every year since 2009. During 15 days, several beaches in the Grândola region are cleaned, with greater incidence in less frequented places, ie, outside the concession areas . The objective is to collect as much waste as possible. The amount of garbage collected in recent editions exceeds 45 tons.
Maritime ecopoint and distribution of garbage containers to Cascais vessels
Awareness and mitigation action
Local: Cascais
Time course: Since 2007
Promoters: Cascais Municipality
Stakeholders: Cascais Fishing Port, fishermen and waste management companies
In order to discourage the disposal of waste at sea, in 2007 and 2008 rubbish bins were distributed to fishing vessels operating in the municipality of Cascais.
In 2008, the first Maritime Ecopoint was implemented in the Fishing Port of Cascais. This equipment receives hazardous waste from vessels, including batteries, oils and oil filters and contaminated packaging.
The management of waste received at the Ecoponto Marítimo is the responsibility of fishermen, who are responsible for summoning companies from waste management companies to collect and forward it for recycling.