PRO-SEAS Project

Plastic Reduction in the Oceans: Sustaining and Enhancing Actions on Sea-based Sources (PRO-SEAS)

• The PRO-SEAS project builds upon the success of four countries under the GloLitter Partnerships project: Costa Rica, Jamaica, Kenya and Vanuatu. These countries span three Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs), including the Caribbean Sea LME, the Pacific-Central American Coastal LME and the Somali Coastal Current LME.

• These four countries were selected as centres of transformation in addressing marine plastic litter from sea-based sources due to their exhibited leadership and ownership around key initiatives at national and regional scales during the GloLitter Partnerships Project. The global scope of this project is needed to address the issues in a meaningful way due to the transboundary nature of the problem.

• PRO-SEAS was designed to address the following barriers:

1. 1. Inadequate implementation of marine plastic litter from sea-based sources policy and regulatory frameworks;
   2. Inadequate information, tools and systems available to effectively manage marine plastic litter from sea-based sources, including a lack of environmentally sound waste management systems for plastic waste generated at sea and recovered marine plastic litter from sea-based sources;
   3. Lack of incentives and practical opportunities to reduce use of plastic materials used in the shipping and fisheries sectors and to promote a circular economy for plastics and;
   4. Poor knowledge and awareness among key stakeholders on marine plastic litter from sea-based sources and potential solutions.

Total Budget

GEF Trust Fund provides US$ 7.1 million for its execution. This is complemented by US$ 67 million of in-kind support co-financing provided by project partners.

Geographic Focus

The project focuses on the following countries and their associated LMEs: Costa Rica, Jamaica, Kenya and Vanuatu

Achievements

National Action Plans (NAPs) developed

• Under development, will be updated by 2027

E-Learning course

IMO, in collaboration with the World Maritime University (WMU), with funding from other projects under the OceanLitter Programme, developed the MARPOL Annex V E-learning course. The self-paced course, consisting of four well-organized modules, is freely available on the IMO E-Learning platform: https://lms.imo.org/moodle310/.

The online course explores key provisions and enforcement to gain insight on implementation and best practices on sustainable garbage management at sea.

Projected Outcomes

• Legal, policy and institutional frameworks to reduce marine plastic litter from sea-based sources at national, regional and global levels are strengthened.
• Systems, facilities, tools and information to effectively manage marine plastic litter from sea-based sources are improved.
• Practical opportunities and incentives for environmentally sound management of marine plastic litter from sea-based sources is identified and promoted.
• Knowledge of marine plastic litter from sea-based sources and potential solutions to reduce and eliminate marine plastic litter from sea-based sources are generated and shared among key stakeholders.

Project Progress

Please view the Progress Chart for details on what each country is currently addressing.

The PRO-SEAS Project is supported by the Global Environment Facility.