The initiative consists of the design and dissemination of a protocol for the management of marine litter on the beaches of the Spanish coast, to achieve a good environmental status of the marine environment.

The initiative consists of the design and dissemination of a protocol for the management of marine litter on the beaches of the Spanish coast, to achieve a good environmental status of the marine environment.

Special attention will be paid to the conservation of marine biodiversity, taking as a reference the marine demarcation of the Strait and Alborán.

To this end, work will be carried out on the basis of a pilot programme consisting of representative sampling over the course of a year, and on a seasonal basis, of the marine litter that reaches the beaches of said marine demarcation.

A protocol for the management of marine litter on the beaches of the Spanish coast will be designed and will be widely disseminated, as it is intended to constitute a tool in the management of marine litter on beaches. Thus, it may be used by associations, organizations and institutions that plan to carry out or carry out some activity with respect to said waste.

The protocol will support popular beach clean-up initiatives, as well as public bodies managing the marine and coastal environment, in the programmes to monitor marine litter on beaches required by the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive.

The specific objectives of the project are:

• To define the problem of marine litter on the beaches of the Spanish coast, using the marine demarcation of the Strait of Gibraltar and Alborán as a reference.
• To draw up a protocol for the management of marine litter on the beaches of the Spanish coast.
• Raise awareness among citizens about the problem of marine litter.
• To achieve the involvement of the agents that can best contribute to mitigating the impact of litter on marine ecosystems through the application of the protocol.