1,2,- 1Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Cape Town, South Africa (kepillay@dffe.gov.za)
- 2International Atomic Energy Agency Marine Environment Laboratories, Monaco
- *A full list of author appears at the end of the abstract
Plastic pollution is a significant environmental issue, with plastics comprising a large portion of municipal and industrial waste. These materials do not decompose easily, leading to severe environmental problems. A four-year project under the African Regional Cooperative Agreement for Research, Development, and Training Related to Nuclear Science and Technology (AFRA) is aligned with Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, which aims to conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources. The Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14, focused on life below water, through the target 14.1, urges nations to prevent and significantly decrease marine pollution, particularly from land-based activities, including marine litter by 2025; and through the target 14.a, to increase scientific knowledge, develop research capacity and transfer marine technology, to improve ocean health and to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries. The regional project builds on previous International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) projects and national programs, aiming to enhance the capabilities of member states to monitor microplastics (0.3 – 5mm) in beach sand and surface seawater. The project involves collaboration among member states with varying levels of expertise, fostering knowledge transfer and capacity building. Key activities include project setup, harmonizing national programs with the project’s objectives, and developing training and capacity-building. Sampling and laboratory kits are standardized, and a common protocol is used by all member states to generate data. These efforts aim to create a regional network of laboratories equipped to monitor and assess plastic pollution to supply UN SDG with comparable data for 16 African countries. This regional project is part of an IAEA inter-regional project which aims to provide comparable microplastics data to UN SDG14.1.1.b, currently from 99 countries. The harmonised protocols of IAEA for microplastics (0.3 – 5mm) for UN SDG reporting and the progress made within the African region are presented here.
Ahmed Inal, National Centre for Research and Development of Fisheries and Aquaculture(CNRDPA), Tipaza, Algeria Nassima Belhouchet, National Centre for Research and Development of Fisheries and Aquaculture (CNRDPA), Kouba, Algeria Nadjim Ahmed Mohamed, Comoros University, Moroni, Comoros Avouca Mahamoud, Comoros University, Moroni, Comoros Mousa Mahdi Ahmed, Centre d'étude et de recherche de Djibouti, Djibouti Mohamed Djama Ahmed, Centre d'etude et de recherche de Djibouti, Djibouti Hanan Mohmed Ahmed Diab, Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA), Cairo, Egypt Ehab Elsayed Zakaria Elsayed Khozemy, Egyptian Atomic Energy Authority (EAEA), Cairo, Egypt Abubeker Ali, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Adane Bazezew Shiferaw, Addis Ababa Institute of Technology, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Harriet Danso-Abbeam, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Accra, Ghana Dzifa Denutsui, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Accra, Ghana Beatrice Blewu Puplampu, Ghana Atomic Energy Commission (GAEC), Accra, Ghana Charles Mitto Kosore, Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), Mombasa, Kenya Oliver Ochola, Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), Mombasa, Kenya Gilbert Owato, Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI), Mombasa, Kenya Manoj Fakoo, Albion Fisheries Research Centre, Port Louis, Mauritius Reshma Bhantooa, Albion Fisheries Research Centre, Port Louis, Mauritius Preeti Nitisha Oogarah, Mauritius Oceanography Institute, Albion, Mauritius Mohamed Kabriti, Laboratoire National des Etudes et de Surveillance de la Pollution, Rabat, Morocco Abdelfettah Benchrif, Centre National de l'Energie des Sciences et des Techniques Nucléaires (CNESTEN), Rabat, Morocco Adamu Gadu, Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), Abuja, Nigeria Opeoluwa Olusola Fasanya, National Research Institute for Chemical Technology, Zaria, Nigeria Olanipekun Idowu, National Research Institute for Chemical Technology, Zaria, Nigeria Idris Musa Usman, Nigeria Atomic Energy Commission (NAEC), Abuja, Nigeria Ablaye Diao, Ministère de l'environnement et de la protection de la nature, Dakar, Senegal Ibrahima Sidiki, Laboratoire de Physique de l'Atmosphère et de l'Océan Siméon Fongang, Dakar, Senegal Makha Ndao, Université Cheikh Anta Diop, Dakar-Fann, Senegal Tarig Ali, Sudan Atomic Energy Commission (SAEC), Khartoum, Sudan Rayan Hussain Salem Hamada, University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan Khalid Elmamoun Ahmed Ibrahim, Sudan Atomic Energy Commission (SAEC), Khartoum, Sudan Bodjona Magnoudewa, Université de Lomé, Lome, Togo Eyakifama Hazou, Université de Lomé, Lome, Togo Sana ben Ismail Ep Hamouda, Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer (INSTM), Tunis, Tunisia Mokhtar Kraiem, Centre National des Sciences et Technologies Nucleaires (CNSTN), Sidi Thabet Tunisia
How to cite: Pillay, K., Hernandez, C., Johnson, A., Metian, M., and Worship, M. and the Regional Team: African implementation of harmonized operational protocols for microplastics in beach sand and surface seawater under the IAEA NUTEC plastic initiative, One Ocean Science Congress 2025, Nice, France, 3–6 Jun 2025, OOS2025-1487, https://doi.org/10.5194/oos2025-1487, 2025.
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