Towards a Regional Assessment on Marine Litter in the East Asian Seas

Our “Towards a Regional Assessment on Marine Litter in the East Asian Seas” report has been released!

This can be downloaded from the UN Environment Programme website here

 

 

Debris in the environment is a transboundary issue impacting people and ecosystems. The East Asian Seas Region is a major source of litter leakage from land-based activities, but estimates often lack empirical data on waste leakage across different habitats. In 2019, participating countries adopted a Regional Action Plan (RAP) on Marine Litter to guide regional efforts. This assessment supports countries in establishing a reliable snapshot of mismanaged plastic waste in Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam. It emphasizes regional coordination and harmonized data collection for consistent comparisons and effective action.

This assessment is the first of its kind, offering harmonized, on-the-ground evidence at the regional level across Cambodia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Viet Nam. A total of 1,501 transects were surveyed across these five countries, including 540 transects at inland locations, 430 along riverbanks, 369 along coastlines, and 135 sea surface trawls conducted by boat.