Panel 1
Tomaso Fortibuoni, Francesca Ronchi, Danilo Scannella, Cecilia Silvestri
The Marine Strategy (Directive 2008/56/EC) represents an important governance tool for the marine system, promoting the adoption of strategies aimed at safeguarding the marine ecosystem to achieve Good Environmental Status. Good Environmental Status is assessed based on 11 themes or qualitative descriptors, and among these, Descriptor 10 requires that the properties and quantities of marine litter do not cause harm to the coastal and marine environment. Since 2015, Italy has been implementing an extensive monitoring program for marine litter, including beach litter. In 2023, the median of total marine litter stranded on Italian shores was 250 items per 100 m, the lowest value in the entire historical series. However, this is still a density significantly higher than the threshold value of 20 items per 100 m, established at the European level as a requirement for achieving Good Environmental Status. As in previous years, single-use plastics are the most common type of beach litter, representing 13% of the total; however, for this type of litter, there is a sharp decline compared to 2022 (29%), which, if confirmed in the coming years, could represent a significant first result of the effectiveness of the Marine Strategy Measures Program and, in particular, the application of Directive 2019/904 for the reduction of single-use plastics.
Directive 2008/56/EC (transposed by Legislative Decree 190/2010) adopts measures to protect the marine ecosystem to achieve and maintain Good Environmental Status through 11 Descriptors. Descriptor 10 refers to marine litter, and one of its declinations, indicated as criterion D10C1, sets the objective for Member States that the composition, quantity, and distribution of litter on the coastline, in the surface layer of the water column, and on the seabed are at levels that do not cause harm to the coastal and marine environment.
The monitoring of litter on Italian shores is carried out by the National System for Environmental Protection (SNPA) with the technical and scientific coordination of the Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), following the European protocol applied by all Member States (MSFD Technical Group on Marine Litter 2023). The Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) is the competent authority that ensures the coordination of activities provided for in the application of the Marine Strategy in Italy.
Twice a year (spring and autumn), the coastal Regional Environmental Protection Agencies (ARPA) monitor litter larger than 2.5 cm in sample areas of 69 beaches along the entire Italian coastline. The indicator represents the linear density along the coasts of different types of litter (total litter, single-use plastics, litter related to fishing and aquaculture, plastic bags, and litter related to smoking) expressed as the number of items per 100 meters of coastline. It allows identifying the main types of litter present on Italian coasts and monitoring over time the effectiveness of measures adopted for their reduction, as well as verifying the gradual approach to the threshold value of 20 total items per 100 m defined at the European level as a requirement for achieving Good Environmental Status.
To measure the density of litter on the shores and identify the main types of litter in each subregion. To monitor over time the effectiveness of the Marine Strategy Measures Programs and the gradual approach to the threshold value defined at the European level as a requirement for achieving Good Environmental Status.
- Commission Communication on the threshold values set by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/EC and Commission Decision (EU) 2017/848.
- Directive 2008/56/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 June 2008 establishing a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy (Marine Strategy Framework Directive).
- Legislative Decree 13 October 2010, n. 190 Implementation of Directive 2008/56/EC establishing a framework for community action in the field of marine environmental policy.
- Decree 11 February 2015. Determination of indicators associated with environmental targets and monitoring programs, prepared pursuant to Articles 10, paragraph 1, and 11, paragraph 1, of Legislative Decree 190/2010.
- Commission Decision (EU) 2017/848 of 17 May 2017 laying down criteria and methodological standards on good environmental status of marine waters and specifications and standardised methods for monitoring and assessment, and repealing Decision 2010/477/EU.
- Decree 15 February 2019. Update of the determination of good environmental status of marine waters and definition of environmental targets.
- Directive (EU) 2019/904 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment.
- Legislative Decree 8 November 2021, n. 196 Implementation of Directive (EU) 2019/904 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 5 June 2019 on the reduction of the impact of certain plastic products on the environment.
- Threshold value of 20 items/100 m indicated at the European level as an objective for achieving Good Environmental Status of the coasts concerning Descriptor 10 (Commission Notice on the threshold values set under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/EC and Commission Decision (EU) 2017/848).
Panel 2
Hanke G., Walvoort D., van Loon W., Addamo A. M., Brosich A., Montero M. del Mar C, Jack M. M. E., Vinci M., Giorgetti A. (2019). EU Marine Beach Litter Baselines. JRC Technical Report 2019. https://ec.europa.eu/jrc.
Fortibuoni T., Amadesi B., Vlachogianni T. (2021). Composition and abundance of macrolitter along the Italian coastline: The first baseline assessment within the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive. Environmental Pollution, 268, 115886. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envpol.2020.115886.
MSFD Technical Group on Marine Litter, Guidance on the Monitoring of Marine Litter in European Seas An update to improve the harmonised monitoring of marine litter under the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, EUR 31539 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2023, ISBN 978-92-68-04093-5, doi:10.2760/59137, JRC133594.
Van Loon W., Hanke G., Fleet D., Werner S., Barry J., Strand J., Eriksson J., Galgani F., Gräwe D., Schulz M., Vlachogianni T., Press M., Blidberg E., Walvoort D. (2020). A European threshold value and assessment method for macro litter on coastlines, EUR 30347 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2020, ISBN 978-92-76-21444-1 (online), doi:10.2760/54369 (online), JRC121707.
Data quality assessment
SNPA
National
2015-2023
Indicator assessment
The sampling of beach litter is carried out within a single transect represented by a 100 m stretch of beach, twice a year (spring and autumn). The sampling area covers the entire depth of the beach, from the shoreline to the dune system or the vegetation and/or structures present (e.g., roads). The transect is repeated with the highest possible precision in each sampling and over the years. The beaches monitored in 2023 were 69 both in spring and autumn. All items larger than 2.5 cm (on their longest side) visible on the beach surface were classified into categories coded at the European level (MSFD Technical Group on Marine Litter 2023). Densities are expressed as the median number of items per 100 m of beach. For the purposes of the index, the items were grouped into 4 macro-categories: total litter; single-use plastic items (SUP); litter from fishing and aquaculture (FISH); plastic bags and sacks (BAG); litter related to smoking (SMOKE). The temporal trend of the medians is evaluated using the Mann-Kendall test. The purpose of the Mann-Kendall test is to statistically assess whether there is a positive or negative monotonic trend of the variable of interest over time. A positive (negative) monotonic trend means that the variable consistently increases (decreases) over time, but the trend may or may not be linear.
In 2023, the density of litter along the Italian coasts remains very high (median of 250 items per 100 m) compared to the threshold value established at the European level for achieving Good Environmental Status (20 items/100 m) (Figure 1). The Adriatic subregion is the area with the highest densities of total litter (median of 318 items/100 m), followed by the Western Mediterranean (median of 282 items/100 m) and the Ionian and Central Mediterranean (median of 136 items/100 m).
In 2023, a decrease in the density of total litter was observed along the Italian coasts compared to the entire historical series 2015-2022, from a median of 303 items/100 m in 2022 to 250 items/100 m in 2023 (Figure 1, Table 1). In the Adriatic subregion, a statistically significant decrease in total litter (Figure 2), as well as litter from fishing and aquaculture (FISH) (Figure 4) and plastic bags and sacks (BAG) (Figure 6), was recorded. No significant trend is observed for single-use plastics (Figure 3) and litter related to smoking (SMOKE), mainly cigarette butts (Figure 5). In the Ionian and Central Mediterranean, total litter also significantly decreased (Figure 2). In this subregion, single-use plastics (SUP) (Figure 3), litter related to smoking (SMOKE) (Figure 5), and plastic bags and sacks (BAG) (Figure 6) also significantly decreased. In the Western Mediterranean subregion, no statistically significant decrease in total litter is observed (Figure 2), while all other categories (SUP, FISH, SMOKE, and BAG) show a statistically significant decreasing trend. The adoption of specific measures for the reduction of single-use items and the proper disposal of discarded fishing nets should contribute - although in times difficult to estimate - to the reduction of the number of items ending up along the coasts and thus to the gradual approach to the European objective.
Data
Figure 1: Median values of linear densities (objects/100 m) of total waste present along the Italian coasts on the basis of the monitoring carried out under the Marine Strategy
ISPRA processing on ARPA data
Figure 2: Linear density (objects/100 m) of total waste stranded in the three subregions in which the Italian seas are divided
ISPRA processing on ARPA data
The lines combine the median value for each year and sub-region, the bars represent the interquartile waste
Figure 3: Linear density (objects/100 m) of single-use plastics (SUP) in the three subregions in which the Italian seas are divided
ISPRA processing on ARPA data
The lines combine the median value for each year and sub-region, the bars represent the interquartile waste
Figure 4: Linear density (objects/100 m) of fishery and aquaculture waste (FISH) in the three subregions in which the Italian seas are divided
ISPRA processing on ARPA data
The lines combine the median value for each year and sub-region, the bars represent the interquartile waste
Figure 5: Linear density (objects/100 m) of smoke-related waste (SMOKE) in the three subregions in which the Italian seas are divided
ISPRA processing on ARPA data
The lines combine the median value for each year and sub-region, the bars represent the interquartile waste
Figure 6: Linear density (objects/100 m) of plastic bags and bags (BAG) in the three subregions in which the Italian seas are divided
ISPRA processing on ARPA data
The lines combine the median value for each year and sub-region, the bars represent the interquartile waste
Table 1: Median density and interquartile range by type of waste and subregion
ISPRA processing on ARPA data
In 2023, compared to 2022, a decrease in the density of total litter, particularly single-use plastics, is recorded at the national level. This decrease affected both the Adriatic subregion and the Ionian and Central Mediterranean subregion, which remains the one with the lowest densities of beach litter (Figure 2). Single-use plastics (SUP) (Figure 3) represent the most abundant macro-category in all subregions, with 13% of the total litter. The Adriatic is affected by a high density of litter related to fishing and aquaculture (FISH), which have a median density of 23 items/100 m compared to 5 items/100 m in the Western Mediterranean and 4 items/100 m in the Ionian and Central Mediterranean (Figure 4). Litter related to smoking (SMOKE) decreased in all subregions in 2023 compared to the previous year, although in the Ionian and Central Mediterranean the densities were higher (12 items/100 m) compared to the other two (8 items/100 m in the Adriatic and 7 items/100 m in the Western Mediterranean) (Figure 5). Regarding plastic bags and sacks (BAG), no substantial differences were observed compared to 2022 (Figure 6).