Lead institution:
Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment – South Africa
The main purpose of this project is to harmonize techniques, prepare guidelines for the sampling, separation, and identification of microplastics in beach sands and marine surface water, and ensure consistent reporting of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicator 14.1.1b.
Part of the strategy of the project was a homogenization of activities in the field and laboratories. The purpose is to support data generation to establish a baseline for reporting, and as a means for estimating the abundance and change over time of microplastics in the coastal zone, as well as establishing a regional, possibly global, network.
This project is hosted by the Ocean Decade Programme Global Environment Monitoring System for the Ocean and Coasts (GEMS Ocean).
Start Date: 20/02/2023
End Date: 31/12/2030
Lead Contact: Keshnee Pillay (kepillay@dffe.gov.za)