COLLECT – Citizen Observation of Local Litter in Coastal ECosysTems

/ Innovation in ocean observing / Task forces, projects and working groups / COLLECT – Citizen Observation of Local Litter in Coastal ECosysTems

POGO project funded by the Richard Lounsbery Foundation
January 2021 – September 2022

Goal

The goal of this project is to acquire data on marine plastic debris distribution and abundance on the coasts of African countries, by training citizen scientists (secondary school students) and promoting knowledge transfer between local communities, researchers and members of the Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO).

Current POGO partners collaborating in sampling campaigns are from Ghana, Nigeria, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Morocco and Cabo Verde. We are currently looking for further collaborations from other African countries, as well as from other members to participate in an inter-comparison of microplastics analysis.

Strategy and Proposed Activities

The project COLLECT aims to demonstrate the potential for acquisition of data by citizen scientists (secondary school students) on the distribution and abundance of coastal debris in African countries. Data on the distribution of coastal plastic debris (macro and microplastics) is currently extremely scarce in coastal environments in Africa, with the exception of South Africa. The project will further assess attitude and awareness shifts in participating students (volunteers) after citizen science interventions. This project will be complemented by the knowledge and infrastructure transfer enabled by the POGO member institutions.

We will develop a citizen science activity in collaboration with secondary schools, where students (15 – 18 years old) will apply standard operating procedures (SOPs) to acquire and sample macro (> 5mm) and microplastics (< 5mm) from sandy beaches, during wet and dry seasons. Prior to the activity, the POGO partners will provide training to all participants, students and teachers, that will include not only guidelines for field sampling, but also background information on plastic pollution. We will measure the impact of the citizen science intervention via a survey, to assess shifts in knowledge of the nature and purpose of scientific research and in attitude/awareness towards the environment.

Expected Products and Outcomes

Specific outputs of the project include:

  1. Validation and adaptation of plastic litter sampling standard operating procedures (SOPs) using citizen scientists in African countries;
  2. Production of datasets that are open and available for a variety of stakeholders;
  3. Analysis of preliminary information on plastic pollution sources for the targeted study area;
  4. Evaluation of potential shifts in attitude of participating students towards coastal plastic debris; and
  5. Academic publication in a peer reviewed journal of the results of this case study.

The results obtained in this project will contribute to establish baseline information on coastal plastic debris and reinforce the POGO institutions’ collaborative network. In this project, citizen science will be an enabler of open science, by allowing data collected to be freely available to public, academics and regulators. Results will contribute to the identification of hotspots of plastic coastal litter, useful to establish projects on remote sensing and automated techniques for the identification of plastic. We will further assess the impact of the citizen science intervention in environmental attitude/awareness of participant students

Contact

Email the COLLECT project at collect@pogo-ocean.org

Collaborating Schools:

  • College Les Oliviers, Cote D’Ivoire
  • École IBN Batouta, Morocco
  • Escola Salesiana de Artes e Ofícios, Cabo Verde
  • Lagos State Senior Model College Badore, Nigeria
  • Liceu Ludgero Lima, Cabo Verde
  • Lycée des sportifs, Morocco
  • Lycée Technique Coulibaly, Benin
  • O’Reilly Secondary School, Ghana
  • Prince of Wales Island International School, Malaysia
  • Riverside College, Nigeria
  • University of Calabar International Secondary School, Nigeria

 

List of Publications, Reports, Datasets and Educational Materials:

(All items are Open Access and FAIR)

Catarino, A.I.; Mahu, E.; Severin, M.I.; Akpetou, K.L.; Annasawmy, P.A.; Asuquo, F.E.; Beckman, F.; Benomar, M.; Jaya-Ram, A.; Malouli, M.; Mees, J.; Monteiro, I.; Dwiga, J.; Silva, P.N.; Nubi, O.A.; Martin-Cabrera, P.; Sim, Y.K.; Sohou, Z.; Pinn, W.S.; Zizah, S.; Everaert, G.; Hwai, T.S.; Krug, L.A.; Seeyave, S. (2023). Addressing data gaps in marine litter distribution: Citizen science observations of plastic pollution in coastal ecosystems by high-school students. Front. Mar. Sci. 10: 1126895. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2023.1126895

Catarino, A.I.; Mahu, E.; Severin, M.I.; Annasawmy, P.A.; Beckman, F.; Monteiro, I.; Neves Silva, P.; Everaert, G.; Hwai, A.S.T.; Krug, L.A.; Seeyave, S.; Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ): Belgium; University of Ghana: Ghana; Université de Bretagne Occidentale (UBO): France; Secretariat Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (POGO): United Kingdom; Ocean Science Centre Mindelo (OSCM), Institute of Marine Research (IMAR): Cabo Verde; Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (CEMACS), School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia: Malaysia; (2021): Citizen observation of local litter in coastal ecosystems: Animated standard operating procedure (video). Marine Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.14284/585 (https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3Mh9bBxde-Xbv668RRV51xovJlgaKy9e)

Catarino, A.I.; Mahu, E.; Severin, M.I.; Annasawmy, P.A.; Beckman, F.; Monteiro, I.; Neves Silva, P.; Everaert, G.; Shau-Hwai Tan, A.; Krug, L.A.; Seeyave, S. (2021). Citizen observation of local litter in coastal ecosystems: Standard operating procedure. Version 1. Partnership for the Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO)/Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)/University of Ghana: Ostend. 3 parts pp. https://doi.org/10.48470/38

Catarino, A.I.; Mahu, E.; Severin, M.I.; Annasawmy, P.A.; Beckman, F.; Monteiro, I.; Neves Silva, P.; Everaert, G.; Shau-Hwai Tan, A.; Krug, L.A.; Seeyave, S. (2021). Citizen observation of local litter in coastal ecosystems: Illustrated standard operating procedure. Partnership for the Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO)/Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)/University of Ghana: Ostend. [9] pp. https://doi.org/10.48470/39

Catarino, A.I.; Mahu, E.; Severin, M.I.; Annasawmy, P.A.; Beckman, F.; Monteiro, I.; Neves Silva, P.; Everaert, G.; Shau-Hwai Tan, A.; Krug, L.A.; Seeyave, S. (2021). Citizen observation of local litter in coastal ecosystems: Data management plan. Version 1. Partnership for the Observation of the Global Ocean (POGO)/Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ)/University of Ghana: Ostend. 7 parts pp. https://doi.org/10.48470/40

Catarino, A.I.; Mahu, E.; Severin, M.I.; Annasawmy, P.A.; Beckman, F.; Monteiro, I.; Neves Silva, P.; Everaert, G.; Hwai, A.S.T.; Krug, L.A.; Seeyave, S.; Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ): Belgium; University of Ghana: Ghana; Université de Bretagne Occidentale (UBO): France; Secretariat Partnership for Observation of the Global Oceans (POGO): United Kingdom; Ocean Science Centre Mindelo (OSCM), Institute of Marine Research (IMAR): Cabo Verde; Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (CEMACS), School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia: Malaysia; (2021): Citizen observation of local litter in coastal ecosystems: Animated standard operating procedure (video). Marine Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.14284/585

Severin, M., Catarino, A. I., Everaert, G., & Mahu, E. (2021, September 23). COLLECT Project. https://doi.org/10.17605/OSF.IO/VB8TX (Open Science Framework registration)

Severin, M.I.; Akpetou, K.L.; Annasawmy, P.; Asuquo, F.E.; Beckman, F.; Benomar, M.; Jaya-Ram, A.; Malouli, M.; Mees, J.; Monteiro, I.; Ndwiga, J.; Silva, P.N.; Nubi, O.A.; Sim, Y.K.; Sohou, Z.; Hwai, T.S.; Woo, S.P.; Zizah, S.; Buysse, A.; Raes, F.; Krug, L.A.; Seeyave, S.; Everaert, G.; Mahu, E.; Catarino, A.I.; (2023): Pre and post-survey data evaluating the impact of the COLLECT project on participants. Marine Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.14284/587

Severin, M.I.; Akpetou, K.L.; Annasawmy, P.A.; Asuquo, F.E.; Beckman, F.; Benomar, M.; Jaya-Ram, A.; Malouli, M.; Mees, J.; Monteiro, I.; Ndwiga, J.; Neves Silva, P.; Nubi, O.A.; Sim, Y.K.; Sohou, Z.; Tan Shau Hwai, A.; Woo, S.P.; Zizah, S.; Buysse, A.; Raes, F.; Krug, L.A.; Seeyave, S.; Everaert, G.; Mahu, E.; Catarino, A.I. (2023). Impact of the citizen science project COLLECT on ocean literacy and well-being within a north/west African and south-east Asian context. Frontiers in Psychology 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1130596.

 

 

 

Status: Complete Project

Year: 2021-2023 (extended)

Members involved

Partners involved

Project Participants

Leader

  • Ana I. Catarino, VLIZ, Belgium
  • Edem Mahu, University of Ghana, Ghana

Participants

  • Francis Emile Asuquo, Marine Atmosphere & Coastal Ocean Research Network - MACORN-UNICAL, Faculty of Oceanography, University of Calabar, Nigeria
  • Kouame Lazare Akpetou, Centre Universitaire de Recherche et d'Application en Teledetection - CURAT, Universite Felix Houphouet-Boigny, Cote d'Ivoire
  • Nubi Olubunmi Ayoola, Physical & Chemical Oceanography Department, Nigerian Institute for Oceanography & Marine Research - NIOMR, Nigeria
  • Péricles Neves Silva, Ocean Science Centre Mindelo, Instituto do Mar - IMar, Cabo Verde
  • Ivanice Monteiro, Ocean Science Centre Mindelo, Instituto do Mar - IMar, Cabo Verde
  • Soukaina Zizah, Institut National de Recherche Halieutique - INRH, Morocco
  • Mohammed Malouli, Institut National de Recherche Halieutique - INRH, Morocco
  • Mostapha Benomar, Institut National de Recherche Halieutique - INRH, Morocco
  • Zacharie Sohou, Institut de Recherches Halieutiques et Oceanologiques du Benin - IRHOB, Benin
  • Aileen Tan Shau Hwai, CEMACS, Malaysia
  • Lailah Gifty Akita, University of Ghana, Ghana
  • Annette Jaya Ram, CEMACS, Malaysia
  • Gert Everaert, VLIZ, Belgium
  • Pavanee Angelee Annasawmy, Lynker Technologies, France
  • Marine Severine, VLIZ, Belgium

Project links

COLLECT presents at WAMSS [POGO Newsletter August 2023]
Frontiers in Psychology Paper: Impact of the citizen science project COLLECT on ocean literacy and well-being within a north/west African and south-east Asian context
COLLECT on YouTube
Frontiers in Marine Science Paper: Addressing data gaps in marine litter distribution: Citizen science observation of plastics in coastal ecosystems by high-school students
[POGO Newsletter] COLLECT featured in two recent international conferences on marine debris and microplastics
COLLECT voluntary commitment page for the 2022 UN Ocean Conference
COLLECT on Twitter
COLLECT on Instagram
COLLECT on Facebook

Related documents

COLLECT Launch Press Release (English)
COLLECT Launch Press Release (Portuguese)
COLLECT Launch Press Release (French)
COLLECT: Project output poster for participating schools
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