Methods for determining the geographical origin and age of beach litter: Challenges and opportunities

Embargo until September 2, 2023.Beach litter analysis is a cost-effective tool to identify litter sources and subsequent management actions. However, standard beach litter protocols are not generally developed to identify litter's origins and age. Data from Svalbard (North Atlantic/ Arctic Ocean) were therefore used to explore reliable methods to fill this knowledge gap. Written text and country specific brands, as well as printed production or expiry dates proved the most efficient and reliable identifiers. The use of product design and logos considerably increased the proportion of items that could be sourced (by 19%) and dated (by 22%). The successful use of these is defined by the expertise of the analysing team and may introduce bias. The bias can be reduced by developing picture guides and involving stakeholders. The analyses showed that littering is on-going and that the area's major fishing nations, Norway and Russia, dominated the identified litter (38% and 14%, respectively).acceptedVersio

Miljøvennlige menstruasjonsprodukter i Osloskolene

Prosjektleder: Vilde SnekkevikEngangsprodukter som bind og tamponger og deres negative påvirkninger på natur, miljø og helse har hatt lite fokus. Dette til tross for at det finnes mer miljøvennlige alternativer. Oslo kommunes tiltaksordning har som mål å minimere plast- og marinforsøpling i Oslo. Basert på deres plastvedtak har vi i dette prosjektet identifisert hvordan Oslo kommune kan bidra til å redusere bruke av engangs menstruasjonsprodukter, samt utviklet et undervisningsopplegg. Undervisningsopplegget har gjennom kreativ læring og gruppearbeid som mål å informere om miljøproblemene engangs menstruasjonsprodukter representerer og introdusere mer miljøvennlige alternativer som kan gjenbrukes.Oslo KommunepublishedVersio

Seafood production in Northern Norway: Analyzing variation and co-development in aquaculture and coastal fisheries

Norway is one of the leading ocean-based food production nations. Its seafood industry comprises wild-capture fisheries and farmed fish production. Both industries play a provisional role but also contribute to economic development of the country and help sustain coastal communities, particularly, in Northern Norway. Coastal fishery has been the staple industry in Northern Norway for centuries, while aquaculture complemented the seafood production in this region only approximately 40 years ago. To date, there has been limited knowledge on how the two industries co-developed in Northern Norway. While there are controversies regarding the potential cost and benefit of aquaculture to local communities, only a few studies have addressed co-existence of the two seafood industries in Northern Norway on a municipality scale. In this study, we compared the development of coastal fisheries and aquaculture in Northern Norway over a 14-year period (2005–2018) using a Bayesian approach that allowed to fit a model specific to each municipality, accounting also for temporal changes in both industries. A strong stochastic spatial variation characterized both industries, indicating a sizeable gap in the seafood production between the municipalities. Finally, the study showed that the fisheries and aquaculture likely did not affect each other’s production, suggesting that there were no or few discernible conflicts or synergies between these two industries in Northern Norway. This study featured an advanced method for analyzing variation of seafood production per administrative unit that can be transferable to assess seafood development in other regions of Norway and beyond

Using ecosystem models to inform ecosystem-based fisheries management in Europe: a review of the policy landscape and related stakeholder needs

The need to implement an ecosystem-based fisheries management (EBFM) is enshrined in numerous regulations and strategies, at both global and European level. In practice, it is challenging to implement EBFM because it requires a complex evaluation of interlinked management effects and environmental and climate forcing on multi-species interactions, habitat status and human activities. Ecosystem models are one of the most critical research tools to inform EBFM, because they can integrate a wide variety of data, examine multiple and complex ecosystem interactions, and can make forecasts based on specific management scenarios. However, despite clear progress in marine ecosystem modelling, many models do not address policy goals and targets, which hinders uptake in policy. In this paper, we review the global and European policies and implementing bodies which directly or indirectly have a repercussion on the implementation of EBFM. Moreover, we highlight specific stakeholder needs related to the implementation of EBFM in European waters, which ecosystem models could help address. We review the policy commitments that drive these needs and the concerns raised by stakeholders during a survey and dedicated workshop. Key topics of concern were effects of climate change; bycatch; protected areas/fisheries restricted areas; and reducing the impacts of trawling. Stakeholders also provided specific questions related to these topics which ecosystem models could help address. Scenario and data results visualizations, as well as specific barriers in using the results of ecosystem models for decision-making are also discussed. A close involvement of stakeholders in scenario development and in designing graphical outputs is important, and can help overcome some of the main barriers that can hinder uptake of models and scenarios, including a lack of understanding of the benefits and limits of ecosystem models; insufficient involvement and interaction with stakeholders; and inadequate characterization of uncertainties.publishedVersio

Rapport fra workshop med norske interessenter om overvåking av forsøpling

Prosjektleder: Jannike Falk-AnderssonDenne rapporten oppsummerer innspill fra deltagere under workshop holdt med norske interessenter på temaet «Overvåkning av forsøpling, med fokus på makroplast». Formålet med workshopen var å diskutere utfordringer og muligheter knyttet til å utvikle et helhetlig overvåkningsprogram for makrosøppel i Norge. Kartlegging av kunnskapsbehov identifiserte blant annet at det er viktig med overvåkningsdata som kan si noe om mengder og tilførsel av søppel, identifisere kilder, bidra til å identifisere målrettete tiltak, inkludert følge opp produsentansvar, samt måle effekten av tiltak. Disse kunnskapsbehovene er i noen grad dekket av data som hentes inn i dag på strandsøppel, men det er behov for å øke kvaliteten og mengden av data både i tid og rom.Norges ForskningsrådpublishedVersio

Erratum

The world's largest concentration of cold-water coral (CWC) is found off the Norwegian coast. Most CWC discoveries are recent, posing new challenges for Norwegian coastal and fishery authorities regarding the management of deep-sea resources. Scientific knowledge of CWC is limited, and many citizens have not even heard about them. This creates problems for the application of the stated preference methods to capture their economic value, and very few such studies have been conducted. To fill this gap, we designed a discrete choice experiment, which was implemented in a valuation workshop setting in order to derive estimates of participants' willingness to pay (WTP) for increasing the protection of CWC. Despite the fact that marine industries such as oil/gas and fisheries could be adversely affected by CWC protection, this did not reduce the respondents' willingness to pay for further protection. The possibility that CWCs play an important role as habitat for fish was the single most important variable to explain respondents' WTP for CWC protection. The survey revealed a high degree of preference heterogeneity, while we found an average WTP for CWC protection in the range of EUR 274–287

Valuation of marine plastic pollution in the European Arctic: Applying an integrated choice and latent variable model to contingent valuation

Despite its remoteness, marine plastic pollution is a significant environmental problem in the Arctic. In Svalbard, for example, plastics are found on the shorelines, in the water column, on the ocean floor and in the ice. Organisms have been observed to be entangled in nets and ingestion of plastics has been documented in a range of organisms. Notably almost all Arctic bird species have been found to have ingested plastic, with Northern fulmars being particularly affected, with 89 % of samples recorded as having ingested plastic. Identification and valuation of ecosystem services affected by marine plastic pollution can provide input for decision makers in evaluating and comparing management policies concerning this unique environment. This study employs the contingent valuation method (CVM) for eliciting the willingness to pay (WTP) of Norwegian households for reducing marine plastic pollution around the archipelago of Svalbard. An Integrated Choice and Latent Variable model (ICLV) is employed to explore attitudinal determinants of WTP. We find an average WTP for an initiative to reduce marine plastics of NOK 5,485 (USD 642) per household per year. The ICLV results reveal that people who are relatively more concerned about marine plastic pollution and who deem the proposed initiative effective are willing to pay more (up to 85 % and 50 %, respectively). The use of ICLV models in CVM and recommendations for future research are discussed

Cleaning Up without Messing Up: Maximizing the Benefits of Plastic Clean-Up Technologies through New Regulatory Approaches

As the global plastics crisis grows, numerous technologies have been invented and implemented to recover plastic pollution from the environment. Although laudable, unregulated clean-up technologies may be inefficient and have unintended negative consequences on ecosystems, for example, through bycatch or removal of organic matter important for ecosystem functions. Despite these concerns, plastic clean-up technologies can play an important role in reducing litter in the environment. As the United Nations Environment Assembly is moving toward an international, legally binding treaty to address plastic pollution by 2024, the implementation of plastic clean-up technologies should be regulated to secure their net benefits and avoid unintended damages. Regulation can require environmental impact assessments and life cycle analysis to be conducted predeployment on a case-by-case basis to determine their effectiveness and impact and secure environmentally sound management. During operations catch-efficiency and bycatch of nonlitter items, as well as waste management of recovered litter, should be documented. Data collection for monitoring, research, and outreach to mitigate plastic pollution is recommended as added value of implementation of clean-up technologies.publishedVersio

Blue justice : A survey for eliciting perceptions of environmental justice among coastal planners' and small-scale fishers in Northern-Norway

Ocean-based economic development arising from an increasing interest in the 'blue economy' is placing ecosystems and small-scale fisheries under pressure. The dominant policy response for dealing with multiple uses is the allocation of coastal space through coastal zone planning (CZP). Recent studies have shown that the rush to develop the blue economy and regulate coastal activity can result in social injustices and the exclusion of less powerful and unrecognized groups (e.g., small-scale fishers, women, Indigenous peoples and youth). To achieve a primary goal of the 2030 sustainable development agenda to "leave no one behind", it is important to understand the implications of coastal planning and development for these groups. Here, we present a social survey protocol for examining perceptions of justice related to small-scale fisheries (SSF) in the context of the blue economy in coastal areas. Specifically, we designed the survey instrument and sampling protocol to assess whether decisions about the use of the coastal zone over the last five years have i) followed principles of good governance, ii) recognized fishers' knowledge, culture and rights and iii) been attentive to impacts of changed coastal zone use on fisheries. The survey will engage coastal planners (N = app. 120) and fishers (N = app. 4300) in all the coastal municipalities (N = 81) in Northern-Norway. The sampling protocol is designed to ensure representation of different sectors of society, including those defined by gender, age, ethnicity and occupation (e.g., small-scale fishers, large-scale fishers, coastal planners).Peer reviewe

The economic costs, management and regulation of biological invasions in the Nordic countries

A collective understanding of economic impacts and in particular of monetary costs of biological invasions is lacking for the Nordic region. This paper synthesizes findings from the literature on costs of invasions in the Nordic countries together with expert elicitation. The analysis of cost data has been made possible through the InvaCost database, a globally open repository of monetary costs that allows for the use of temporal, spatial, and taxonomic descriptors facilitating a better understanding of how costs are distributed. The total reported costs of invasive species across the Nordic countries were estimated at $8.35 billion (in 2017 US$ values) with damage costs significantly outweighing management costs. Norway incurred the highest costs ($3.23 billion), followed by Denmark ($2.20 billion), Sweden ($1.45 billion), Finland ($1.11 billion) and Iceland ($25.45 million). Costs from invasions in the Nordics appear to be largely underestimated. We conclude by highlighting such knowledge gaps, including gaps in policies and regulation stemming from expert judgment as well as avenues for an improved understanding of invasion costs and needs for future research