News

We are thrilled to announce the launch of our revamped sign-up page for organizations to become members of the Global Partnership on Plastic Pollution and Marine Litter (GPML). Our new sign-up process is designed to be simpler, more intuitive, and efficient, ensuring that joining the GPML community is easier than ever before.

 

Why Join the GPML?

1. Access to a Global Audience

We need YOUR input! The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and GRID-Arendal invite you to participate in a brief survey aimed at collecting information on tackling marine litter and plastic pollution through Indigenous Knowledge Systems and using nature positive solutions. Please respond by 1st November and do share the survey with your community, indigenous networks & relevant organisations.

Bangkok, 20 April 2021 – The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) today announced that it is working to fight plastic pollution using citizen science and machine learning, with technical advisory support from Google. With Google’s support, UNEP will create a new machine learning model that reveals a more detailed and accurate view of plastic pollution in the Mekong River.

Within a short span of time, the COVID-19 pandemic has engulfed the entire world, affecting more than 206 countries and territories. In the healthcare sector, the caseload of patients surged due to the pandemic, leading to increased production of hazardous healthcare waste for countries with or without adequate medical waste management systems.

Kenya is emerging as a leader in the fight against plastic pollution and is among the first countries in East Africa to limit single-use plastics and sign the Clean Seas initiative to rid waterways of plastic waste.

This year sees the launch of the United Nations Decade of Ecosystem Restoration and of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development – a new report on coral reef restoration kick starts both.

When you are a small island nation, every inch of space counts. But from rising sea levels to natural disasters and coastal erosion, in the age of climate change many islands are shrinking before their citizens’ very eyes.

In the lead up to International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem on 26 July, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is running a series of stories on mangroves, and their impact on the environment and economies of countries across the world.

 

Would you like to dive into the gorgeous Caribbean country of Belize to learn about how to protect our marine ecosystems?

In the lead up to International Day for the Conservation of the Mangrove Ecosystem on 26 July, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is running a series of stories on mangroves, and their impact on the environment and economies of countries across the world.

July 18 marks International Save the Vaquita Day to raise awareness about this critically endangered marine mammal, which is part of the United Nations Environment Programme's (UNEP) Wild for Life campaign.

A global study has revealed exactly why corals glow during ocean heatwaves: to try and survive. 

The research by the University of Southampton’s Coral Reef Laboratory shows that some corals exhibit a dazzling colourful display when they suffer bleaching due to warmer temperatures—to protect themselves.

World Oceans Day on June 8 is a time to celebrate and honour the oceans that feed us, regulate our climate, and generate most of the oxygen we breathe. They also serve as the foundation for much of the world’s economy, from tourism and fisheries to international shipping. Careful management of this essential global resource is necessary for a sustainable future.

Fishing is big business in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand. The industry supports amillions of people in the region and accounts for some 10 per cent of total global fisheries production every year.

But the region’s success as a seafood exporter has come at a cost – the depletion of local fish stocks, environmental damage and, ultimately a decline in food security and livelihood opportunities for local communities.

World Oceans Day on June 8 celebrates the underwater world whose abundant marine resources sustain the land above it. Some of these resources and ecosystems, such as the overlooked seagrass, mighty mangroves, and colourful corals offer potent, nature-based solutions to climate change and sustainable development.

The world is at a standstill to flatten the COVID-19 curve, a pause that has been especially devastating to the travel industry.

But for some marine tourism operators in Indonesia and Malaysia, the lockdown has inspired new innovations.

Remote diving is the new remote working.

Schools, events and activities in so much of the world have come to a standstill in the wake of COVID-19, with little or no movement recommended. But that does not mean we cannot still enjoy the world and mysteries that abound below and above its surface.

Tourists and divers flock the pristine Nusa Penida Island in Bali, Indonesia for the scenic views, beautiful beaches, towering limestone cliffs and life underwater.

Nusa Penida is known for its healthy corals famed to harbour small reef fish that in turn attract the bigger marine life such as manta rays (mobula alfredi) and the famous mola mola (ocean sunfish).

This 2020 theme for the International Day of Forests on 21 March is Forests and Biodiversity. It's an often-quoted fact that forests are home to 80 per cent of terrestrial biodiversity, but did you know that one type of tree also supports marine biodiversity—the mangrove tree?

Did you know that coral reefs provide a home that supports more than a quarter of all marine life? Corals are much more than just beautiful to watch. They provide important ecosystem services to people and planet. Yet they are under threat of near extinction if we don’t act now. For 2020's #WorldWildLifeDay, the United Nations Environment Programme created special materials to call attention to the role corals play for climate action.

In Onna Village in Okinawa, Japan, a coral reef is never far away. It is only a short stroll to the water from most parts of the self-styled “Village of Coral”. At the shoreline, the dusky forms of the reef are almost always visible through the shimmering blue-green coastal water.

Creating the conditions for sustainable seagrass restoration in Maputo and Inhambane bays 

“People can’t think of Inhaca without thinking about seagrass,” says Salamao Bandeira of Maputo’s Eduardo Mondlane University, knee-deep in the shallow waters on the seaward side of Maputo Bay, as he points at the shores of Inhaca Island.

One of the most threatened yet overlooked ecosystems on Earth, seagrass could have a promising future thanks to its ability to absorb carbon.

On a sunny morning, 1,200 school children, aged between 8 and 14, headed to the beach to undertake the biggest climate action event ever seen in the historic Belgian coastal city of Ostend.