Assessment of marine litter barrier initiatives and their potential as a prevention strategy in Brazil
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1590/2675-2824073.23167Keywords:
Floating debris, Litter booms, Ecobarrier, Ecoboat, Plastic pollutionAbstract
Considering that most solid waste reaching the ocean originates from activities on land and flows and flushesthrough rivers and estuaries to the sea, downstream strategies to intercept marine litter input, such as traps, booms, and boats, have grown in popularity over the past years. However, with the growing interest from the public and private sectors to expand and finance the interception of marine litter, it is essential to assess the existing initiatives, their operational capacity, and challenges. Thus, the present study sought to take an initial step toward this goal by identifying and mapping current marine litter interception initiatives in Brazil, often referred to as ecobarriers and ecoboats, characterizing them according to their level of maturity, type of ecosystem in which they operate, the structures used, how long the operation has been in place, which partnerships enable the operation, the indicators to measure effectiveness, general financial cost, and current demands for the operation to continue/to be implemented, comparing their occurrences with hotspots of marine litter input reported in the literature. A two-phase online survey contacted over 200 stakeholders who could provide information on the issue. A total of 19 boom and boat initiatives were identified, of which 11 could be accurately mapped, most concentrated in the Brazilian Southeast and at an initial phase of their operation (e.g., planned/being planned or raising funds but not fully implemented). All initiatives reported a demand for resources to implement/continue their operations. A mismatch was observed between the location of the initiatives mapped and the occurrence of marine litter hotspots, although these gaps should be interpreted with caution, considering plastic leakage estimates and sub-representation of initiatives. Finally, we highlight several aspects that should be considered before designing and implementing litter booms and other interception strategies.
Downloads
References
Alencar, M. V., Gimenez, B. G., Sasahara, C., Elliff, C. I., Rodrigues, L. S., Conti, L. A., Gonçalves-Dias, S. L. F., Cetrulo, T. B., Scrich, V. M. & Turra, A. 2022. How far are we from robust estimates of plastic litter leakage to the environment? Journal of Environmental Management, 323, 116195. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2022.116195
Alencar, M. V., Gimenez, B. G., Sasahara, C., Elliff, C. I., Velis, C. A., Rodrigues, L. S., Conti, L. A., Gonçalves-Dias, S. L. F., Cetrulo, T. B., Scrich, V. M. & Turra, A. 2023. Advancing plastic pollution hotspotting at the subnational level: Brazil as a case study in the Global South. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 194, 115382. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115382
Alencar, M. V., Krelling, A. P., Elliff, C. I., Fernandino, G., Rabelo, E. F., Costa, M. F., Christofoletti, R. & Turra, A. 2021. Rede nacional de pesquisadores para discutir e propor ações para o combate ao lixo no mar. In: Anais do XIV ENCOGERCO - Encontro Nacional de Gerenciamento Costeiro. Available from: https://encogerco.org.br/redenacional-de-pesquisadores-para-discutir-e-proporacoes-para-o-combate-ao-lixo-no-mar/ Access date: 2024-Oct-09
Andrés, M., Delpey, M., Ruiz, I., Declerck, A., Sarrade, C., Bergeron, P. & Basurko, O. C. 2021. Measuring and comparing solutions for floating marine litter removal: Lessons learned in the south-east coast of the Bay of Biscay from an economic perspective. Marine Policy, 127, 104450. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2021.104450
Blue Keepers. 2022. Executive Summary 2021-2022: Diagnosis of plastic pollution hotspots in Brazil. [S. l.]: Pacto Global Rede Brasil. Available from: https://go.pactoglobal.org.br/SumarioBlueKeepers20212022. Access date: 2024-Oct-09
Brasil. 2019. PL 2293/2019. Brasília, DF, Câmara dos Deputados. Available from: https://www.camara.leg.br/proposicoesWeb/fichadetramitacao?idProposicao=2198161 Access date: 2024-Oct-09
Fries, A. S., Coimbra, J. P., Nemazie, D. A., Summers, R. M., Azevedo, J. P. S., Filoso, S., Newton, M., Gelli, G., Oliveira, R. C. N., Pessoa, M. A. R. & Dennison, W. C. 2019. Guanabara Bay ecosystem health report card: Science, management, and governance implications. Regional Studies in Marine Science, 25, 100474. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rsma.2018.100474
FUNBIO (Fundo Brasileiro para a Biodiversidade). 2019. Listagem da Chamada de Manifestação de Interesse para Projetos de Instalação e Operação de Ecobarreiras em Municípios Costeiros. Rio de Janeiro, FUNBIO.
GESAMP (Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection). 2019. Guidelines for the monitoring and assessment of plastic litter and microplastics in the ocean (n. 99). London, GESAMP. Available from: http://www.gesamp.org/publications/Marine litter barriers in Brazil Ocean and Coastal Research 2025, v73:e25002 13 Elliff et al. guidelines-for-the-monitoring-and-assessment-of-plasticlitter-in-the-ocean Access date: 2024-Oct-09
Granit, J., Liss Lymer, B., Olsen, S., Tengberg, A., Nõmmann, S. & Clausen, T. J. 2017. A conceptual framework for governing and managing key flows in a source-to-seacontinuum. Water Policy, 19(4), 673-691. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2166/wp.2017.126
IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística). 2019. Produto interno bruto dos municípios. 2019. Rio de Janeiro, IBGE. Available from: https://www.ibge.gov.br/estatisticas/economicas/contasnacionais/9088-produto-interno-bruto-dos-municipios.html?=&t=destaques Access date: 2024-Oct-09
IBGE (Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística). 2020. Subnormal Agglomerates. Rio de Janeiro, IBGE. Available from: https://www.ibge.gov.br/en/geosciences/territorial-organization/territorialtypologies/17553-subnormal-agglomerates.html?=&t=o-que-e Access date: 2024-Oct-09
IOC (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission). 2019. The science we need for the ocean we want: the United Nations decade of ocean science for sustainable development (2021–2030). Paris, UNESCO. Available from: https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000265198 Access date: 2024-Oct-09
IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services). 2019. Global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. Bonn, IPBES secretariat. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3831673
Jambeck, J. R., Geyer, R., Wilcox, C., Siegler, T. R., Perryman, M., Andrady, A., Narayan, R. & Law, K. L. 2015. Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science, 347(6223), 768-771. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1260352.
Lebreton, L. & Andrady, A. 2019. Future scenarios of global plastic waste generation and disposal. Palgrave Communications, 5(1), 1-11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-018-0212-7
Lebreton, L. C., Van Der Zwet, J., Damsteeg, J. W., Slat, B., Andrady, A. & Reisser, J. 2017. River plastic emissions to the world’s oceans. Nature communications, 8, 15611. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncomms15611
Mcintyre, O. 2020. Addressing Marine Plastic Pollution as a ‘Wicked’ Problem of Transnational Environmental Governance. Environmental Liability: Law, Policy and Practice, 25(6), 282-295.
Meijer, L. J., Van Emmerik, T., Van Der Ent, R., Schmidt, C. & Lebreton, L. 2021. More than 1000 rivers account for 80% of global riverine plastic emissions into the ocean. Science Advances, 7(18), eaaz5803. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.aaz5803.
PACOLMAR-PE. 2022. Plano de Ação de Combate ao Lixo no Mar. Recife, PACOLMAR. Available from: https://semas.pe.gov.br/pacolmar/ Access date: 2024-Oct-09
PEMALM (Plano Estratégico de Monitoramento e Avaliação do Lixo no Mar do Estado de São Paulo). 2021. São Paulo
Strategic Plan for Monitoring and Assessment of Marine Litter. São Paulo, CETESB – Biblioteca.
Sammut, R., Griscti, O. & Norman, I. J. 2021. Strategies to improve response rates to web surveys: A literature review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 123, 104058. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2021.104058
Schmaltz, E., Melvin, E. C., Diana, Z., Gunady, E. F., Rittschofa, D., Somarelli, J. A., Virdin, J. & DunphyDalya, M. M. 2020. Plastic pollution solutions: emerging technologies to prevent and collect marine plastic pollution. Environment International, 144, 106067. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2020.106067
Schueler, A. S., Kzure, H. & Racca, G. B. 2018. Como estão os resíduos urbanos nas favelas cariocas? Revista Brasileira de Gestão Urbana, 10, 213-230. Available from: https://periodicos.pucpr.br/index.php/Urbe/article/view/20787/22564. Access date: 2024-Oct-09
Scrich, V. M., Elliff, C., Andrade, M. M., Grilli, N. M. & Turra, A. 2024. Stakeholder Analysis as a strategic tool in framing collaborative governance arenas for marine litter monitoring. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 198, 115799. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115799
Silva-Filho, C. R. V. & Velis, C. A. 2022. United Nations’ plastic pollution treaty pathway puts waste and resources management sector at the centre of massive change. Waste Management & Research, 40(5), 487-489. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242X221094634
SIMA (Secretaria de Infraestrutura e Meio Ambiente). 2020. Plano de resíduos sólidos do estado de São Paulo. São Paulo, CETESB – Biblioteca.
Stuparu, D., Van Der Meulen, M., Kleissen, F., Vethaak, D. & Serafy, G. E. 2015. Developing a transport model for plastic distribution in the North Sea. In: E‐proceedings of the 36th IAHR World Congress.
UN (United Nations). 2015. United Nations General Assembly resolution A/RES/70/1. New York, UN. Available from: https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/population/migration/generalassembly/docs/globalcompact/A_RES_70_1_E.pdf Access date: 2024-Oct-09
UNEA (United Nations Environment Assembly). 2022. Resolution adopted by the United Nations Environment Assembly on 2 March 2022. End plastic pollution: Towards an international legally binding instrument. UNEP/EA.5/L.23/Rev.1. Nairobi, UNEP.
UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme). 2012. The Honolulu Strategy: A Global Framework for Prevention and Management of Marine Debris. Nairobi, UNEP. Available from: https://wedocs.unep. org/20.500.11822/10670 Access date: 2024-Oct-09
UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme). 2016. Marine plastic debris and microplastics – Global lessons and research to inspire action and guide policy change. Nairobi, UNEP.
Walker, T. R. 2023. The tropics should not become the world’s plastic pollution problem. Journal of Tropical Futures, 1(1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/27538931231165273.
Winterstetter, A., Grodent, M., Kini, V., Ragaert, K. & Vrancken, K. C. 2021. A review of technological solutions to prevent or reduce marine plastic litter in developing countries. Sustainability, 13, 4894. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094894 Marine litter barriers in Brazil Ocean and Coastal Research 2025, v73:e25002 14 Elliff et al.
Worm, B., Lotze, H. K., Jubinville, I., Wilcox, C. & Jambeck, J. 2017. Plastic as a persistent marine pollutant. Annual Review of Environment and Resources, 42(1), 1–26. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-environ-102016-060700
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Carla I. Ellif, Bianca G. Gimenez, Melanie V. Alencar, Vitória M. Scrich, Luis A. Conti, Alexander Turra
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Ocean and Coastal Research is an open-access journal available through SciELO (Scientific Electronic Library Online).
Ocean and Coastal Research journal title abbreviation is Ocean Coast. Res. and should be used in footnotes, references, and bibliographic entries.
All Ocean and Coastal Research scientific articles are freely available without charge to the user or institution. In accordance with the BOAI definition of open access, all contents are available to readers free of charge. Users may read, download, copy, and link to the full texts of the articles. They may be used for any lawful purpose without prior authorization from the publisher or the author, as long as proper credit is given to the original publication.
All Ocean and Coastal Research published scientific articles receive an individual Digital Object Identifier (DOI) persistent digital document identification.
All the content of the journal, except where otherwise noted, is licensed under a Creative Commons License type BY. Authors retain the copyright and full publishing rights without restrictions.
More information on intellectual property can be found here and on Scielo's Open Acess Statement.
Ocean and Coastal Research is listed in Publons and reviewers and editors can add their verified peer review and editing history to their Publons profile.
Ocean and Coastal Research is indexed in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and complies with principles of transparency and best practice for scholarly publications.
Ocean and Coastal Research is committed to the best standards in open-access publishing by adopting ethical and quality standards throughout the publishing process - from initial manuscript submission to the final article publication. This ensures authors that their work will have visibility, accessibility, reputation, usage, and impact in a sustainable model of scholarly publishing.
