Temple of Poetry, Oeiras
13-14 november
The Environmental Monitoring and Interpretation Center (CMIA) of Matosinhos, as an entity dedicated to scientific dissemination, ocean literacy promotion, environmental monitoring, and education, aims to raise awareness and call the population to action regarding the issue of marine litter. In this context, in November 2021, we launched a citizen science project focused on monitoring marine litter on Matosinhos beach, one of the main beaches in the Porto metropolitan area.
This urban beach, which sees high attendance throughout the year and is subject to mitigation measures such as daily sand cleaning and sand replenishment, serves as a relevant case study for understanding patterns of litter deposition and persistence in urban coastal areas. Marine litter monitoring is conducted monthly, following the standardized methodology of the OSPAR Marine Litter Monitoring Programme (Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic), and includes the quantification and classification of the 12 litter categories described therein.
Since 2024, the data collected has been integrated into the “Monitoring Programme for Marine Macro-Litter on Beaches of Mainland Portugal” by the Portuguese Environment Agency, under the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, contributing to the fulfillment of Descriptor 10 – Marine Litter.
The main goals of the project, beyond monitoring marine litter, are to increase literacy on the topic by promoting direct observation of the most frequent waste types, encouraging reflection on their origins, and stimulating the adoption of more sustainable behaviors. Over these four years, the initiative has involved 693 citizens, aged between 11 and 60, counted up to June 2025. The primary target audience is young people in school settings, who, by actively participating in the monitoring campaigns, have their first contact with scientific methodologies and develop skills in data analysis and interpretation, aligned with curricular content. These young participants also become multipliers of the environmental message within their communities.