The main output of the project Improved online public access to environmental monitoring data and data tools for the Black Sea Basin supporting cooperation in the reduction of marine litter – MARLITER (BSB138) is the innovative ICT tool for the Black Sea Basin designed to meet the needs of maritime stakeholders. This interactive, user-friendly portal supports various knowledge-based activities.
Background info on marine litter provides an overview of the status of marine litter. The summaries for Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Romania and Ukraine sketch a diverse, yet comparable picture of the efforts to stem solid waste pollution in the coastal and marine environment.
Information about the monitoring of marine litter as a basis for designing and implementing policies for pollution abatement is available for all five countries. It ranges from a summary of the latest state of affairs to a more specific evaluation of regional, national and local monitoring efforts.
A spatial mapping toolbox provides access to rich data about the coastal and marine environment in the five project countries and the region as a whole. The geographic information system (GIS) toolbox offers interactive handling of information about marine environmental factors.
All data is displayed on a map interface. Over hundred geographical layers cover various open access data sets representing biotic and abiotic features, relevant to the state of the marine environment and the level of marine litter pollution at national and regional scale. Each set of data is accompanied by additional description and linked to the original source. The datasets are freely downloadable.
The policy toolbox is an important part of the ICT tool. It guides users through the process of designing and applying effective policies on marine litter reduction. It features a review of national legislations, stakeholders’ databases and recommendations on good practices. The purpose of the toolbox is to make data and resources readily available in a manageable format and assist administrations, businesses, scientists and experts in formulating policies that will benefit the marine environment and various users who depend on it.
The E-learning module aims to empower young people with deeper understanding about the marine environment, help them develop skills to participate in citizen science, and support them in daily decision for the reduction of marine litter. The learning materials cover a series of topics about the marine environment suited for non-formal education. Each theme is developed in a brief presentation or a short video and further elaborated through quizzes, tasks and suggestions for outdoor or in-class activities.
The web portal informs also about capacity building activities at national and regional level and provides a platform for communication on topics related to the Black Sea environment.