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Loizidou XI, L. Orthodoxou D, I. Loizides M, Petsa D, Anzidei M. Adapting to sea level rise: participatory, solution-oriented policy tools in vulnerable Mediterranean areas. Environ Syst Decis 2023:1-19. [PMID: 37363065 PMCID: PMC10234231 DOI: 10.1007/s10669-023-09910-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 03/25/2023] [Indexed: 06/28/2023]
Abstract
The coasts of the Mediterranean basin are exposed to the ongoing effects of climate change and anthropogenic pressure. Low elevated coastal plains, river deltas, lagoons and reclamation areas are experiencing beach retreat, coastal erosion and marine flooding. This makes them particularly vulnerable to sea level rise (SLR), which is expected to increase up to 1 m by 2100 AD, according to the projections of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. In this study, selected stakeholders from four Mediterranean coastal areas that are highly vulnerable to the impacts of SLR have been engaged through a structured participatory process for the development of solution-oriented, case-specific and site-specific Policy Tools to address SLR. The developed Policy Tools for the Venice Lagoon, the Metaponto reclamation area and the Basento river mouth, in Italy, the Ebro River Delta in Spain, and the coastal plain of Chalastra, near the Axios River Delta, in Greece, contain relevant, effective and implementable actions stemming from stakeholder interaction and consensus building. The interconnected stakeholder engagement steps employed in this study identified relevant issues that should be considered when defining SLR adaptation policies to bridge knowledge and perception gaps, facilitate knowledge exchange and foster social learning through structured science communication on SLR. This participatory stakeholder process can lay the foundations for more extensive participation in public processes through which the resulting Policy Tools can materialise into collectively accepted, concrete actions to help vulnerable areas adapt to the expected SLR and consequent coastal hazards by the end of this century. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10669-023-09910-5.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Demetra Petsa
- Isotech Ltd Environmental Research and Consultancy, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Marco Anzidei
- Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia, Rome, Italy
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Orthodoxou DL, Loizidou XI, Baldwin C, Kocareis C, Karonias A, Ateş MA. Seasonal and geographic variations of marine litter: A comprehensive study from the island of Cyprus. Mar Pollut Bull 2022; 177:113495. [PMID: 35245764 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2022.113495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2021] [Revised: 02/22/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2022] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Twenty beaches located around the island of Cyprus, in the eastern Mediterranean, were identified as monitoring sites. They were monitored over four monitoring sessions from January to September 2021 to assess marine litter amounts, categories, and spatiotemporal distribution. A total of 42,499 marine litter items were collected. The average marine litter density was 0.19 items/m2. Most of the collected items were plastics, with single-use plastics being ubiquitous. Plastic fragments >2.5 cm made a significant proportion of the plastic litter collected, particularly in the northern coasts of the island. Cigarette butts were abundant on touristic beaches, especially in the tourism period. The study identifies significant temporal and spatial variations in the abundance and distribution of marine litter, as well as variations related to waste management or lack thereof.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Xenia I Loizidou
- AKTI Project and Research Centre, 95 Kyrenias Avenue, 2113 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Christina Baldwin
- AKTI Project and Research Centre, 95 Kyrenias Avenue, 2113 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Cemile Kocareis
- Famagusta Walled City Association (MASDER), Bishop Chapel, 99450 Famagusta, Cyprus
| | - Anastasis Karonias
- Enalia Physis Environmental Research Centre, 2 Akropoleos Street, 2101 Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Maria Ayça Ateş
- North Cyprus Diving Centre Association, Demak Is Hani, No: 24 Muftu Ziya Efendi Sok., Nicosia, Cyprus
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Loizidou XI, Loizides MI, Orthodoxou DL. Persistent marine litter: small plastics and cigarette butts remain on beaches after organized beach cleanups. Environ Monit Assess 2018; 190:414. [PMID: 29926242 DOI: 10.1007/s10661-018-6798-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/21/2017] [Accepted: 06/12/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Cyprus is an island country in the Eastern Mediterranean whose economy is largely dependent on coastal tourism. It boasts some of the cleanest waters in Europe and has the largest number of Blue Flag awarded beaches per capita in the world. These beaches are managed by local authorities and are regularly cleaned, throughout the year, at least once per day. This paper presents findings from cleanups that were organized over the summers of 2016 and 2017 on nine Blue Flag beaches around the island of Cyprus, after the beaches were cleaned by the responsible authorities. The aim was to answer the following questions: 'Are regular beach cleanups by local authorities efficient?' and 'What is left on a "clean" beach?' The results suggest that local authority cleanup efforts are quite successful at collecting larger pieces of marine litter, leaving the beach seemingly clean. However, small pieces of litter, such as cigarette butts and small pieces of plastic items related to recreational activities, remain on the beach. They likely accumulate or are buried over time, with some items becoming a nuisance to beach goers and a potential source of marine litter.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xenia I Loizidou
- ISOTECH Ltd Environmental Research and Consultancy, Office 401, 1 Kalliopis Str., 2102 Aglantzia, Nicosia, Cyprus.
| | - Michael I Loizides
- ISOTECH Ltd Environmental Research and Consultancy, Office 401, 1 Kalliopis Str., 2102 Aglantzia, Nicosia, Cyprus
| | - Demetra L Orthodoxou
- ISOTECH Ltd Environmental Research and Consultancy, Office 401, 1 Kalliopis Str., 2102 Aglantzia, Nicosia, Cyprus
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Veiga JM, Vlachogianni T, Pahl S, Thompson RC, Kopke K, Doyle TK, Hartley BL, Maes T, Orthodoxou DL, Loizidou XI, Alampei I. Enhancing public awareness and promoting co-responsibility for marine litter in Europe: The challenge of MARLISCO. Mar Pollut Bull 2016; 102:309-315. [PMID: 26874746 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2016.01.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/16/2014] [Revised: 10/27/2015] [Accepted: 01/20/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Marine litter is a pervasive and complex societal problem but has no simple solution. Inadequate practices at all levels of production-use-disposal contribute to accumulation of waste on land and at sea. Enhanced societal awareness but also co-responsibility across different sectors and improved interactions between stakeholders are necessary. MARLISCO was a European initiative, which developed and implemented activities across 15 countries. It worked towards raising societal awareness and engagement on marine litter, through a combination of approaches: public exhibitions in over 80 locations; a video competition involving 2100 students; and a legacy of educational and decision-supporting tools. 12 national participatory events designed to facilitate dialogue on solutions brought together 1500 stakeholders and revealed support for cross-cutting, preventive measures. Evaluation during implementation shows that these activities are effective in improving individuals' perceptions about the problem but also commitment in being part of the solution. This paper summarises MARLISCO's approach and highlights a selection of outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joana M Veiga
- Coastal & Marine Union (EUCC), P.O. Box 11232, 2301 EE Leiden, The Netherlands.
| | - Thomais Vlachogianni
- Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE), 12, Kyrristou Str., 105 56 Athens, Greece.
| | - Sabine Pahl
- School of Psychology, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, United Kingdom.
| | - Richard C Thompson
- School of Marine Science and Engineering, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, United Kingdom.
| | - Kathrin Kopke
- MaREI Centre, Environmental Research Institute, Beaufort Building, University College Cork, Haulbowline Road, Ringaskiddy, Co. Cork, Ireland.
| | - Thomas K Doyle
- MaREI Centre, Environmental Research Institute, Beaufort Building, University College Cork, Haulbowline Road, Ringaskiddy, Co. Cork, Ireland; School of Natural Sciences (Zoology), Martin Ryan Institute, National University of Ireland Galway, University Road, Galway, Ireland.
| | - Bonny L Hartley
- School of Psychology, Plymouth University, Drake Circus, Plymouth PL4 8AA, United Kingdom.
| | - Thomas Maes
- Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas), Pakefield Road, NR33 0HT Lowestoft, United Kingdom.
| | - Demetra L Orthodoxou
- ISOTECH Ltd Environmental Research and Consultancy, 1 Kalliopis Str. & Larnakos Ave., Apt. 401, 2102 Aglantzia, Nicosia, Cyprus.
| | - Xenia I Loizidou
- ISOTECH Ltd Environmental Research and Consultancy, 1 Kalliopis Str. & Larnakos Ave., Apt. 401, 2102 Aglantzia, Nicosia, Cyprus.
| | - Iro Alampei
- Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE), 12, Kyrristou Str., 105 56 Athens, Greece.
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Loizidou XI, Loizides MI, Orthodoxou DL. A novel best practices approach: the MARLISCO case. Mar Pollut Bull 2014; 88:118-128. [PMID: 25263957 DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2014.09.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/23/2014] [Revised: 09/03/2014] [Accepted: 09/06/2014] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Research that was undertaken to identify and evaluate best practices that can effectively minimise the amount of marine litter in European Seas is presented. Best practices were approached in a novel way that aimed to maximise the impact and added value of the FP7-funded project MARLISCO. The practices served as a tool to enhance the active participation and build capacity in key actors through the implementation of the innovative, dedicatedly-developed decision support tool, DeCyDe-4-Marlisco. This paper also presents the key 'preference' attributes of successful marine litter management practices and provides a snapshot of the key characteristics of the recorded best practices as a means of helping the reader, and particularly decision makers, recognise what would make their marine litter management efforts more successful.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xenia I Loizidou
- ISOTECH Ltd Environmental Research and Consultancy, 1 Kalliopis Str., Apt. 401, 2102 Aglantzia, Nicosia, Cyprus(2).
| | - Michael I Loizides
- ISOTECH Ltd Environmental Research and Consultancy, 1 Kalliopis Str., Apt. 401, 2102 Aglantzia, Nicosia, Cyprus(2).
| | - Demetra L Orthodoxou
- ISOTECH Ltd Environmental Research and Consultancy, 1 Kalliopis Str., Apt. 401, 2102 Aglantzia, Nicosia, Cyprus(2).
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