Including local voices in marine debris conversations to advance environmental justice for island and coastal communities: perspectives from St. Paul Island, Alaska
Marine debris is ubiquitous across the global ocean and is an increasing threat to human health, economies, habitats, and wildlife. While local to national action plans are important in addressing this issue, they do not necessarily reflect the needs of coastal communities most heavily impacted. Rem...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Canadian Science Publishing
2023-01-01
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| Series: | FACETS |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2023-0047 |
| _version_ | 1827811664380035072 |
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| author | Veronica M. Padula Anne H. Beaudreau Douglas Causey Lauren M. Divine Marissa Merculieff |
| author_facet | Veronica M. Padula Anne H. Beaudreau Douglas Causey Lauren M. Divine Marissa Merculieff |
| author_sort | Veronica M. Padula |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Marine debris is ubiquitous across the global ocean and is an increasing threat to human health, economies, habitats, and wildlife. While local to national action plans are important in addressing this issue, they do not necessarily reflect the needs of coastal communities most heavily impacted. Remote island and coastal communities, particularly in Alaska, do not generate the majority of marine debris impacting their ecosystems; however, they are often left with the task of removal and disposal. Thus, the detrimental effects of marine debris are not only an ecological problem but an issue of environmental justice. This project aimed to catalyze the inclusion of place-based knowledge in marine debris solutions for St. Paul Island, a predominantly (>85%) Alaska Native community in the Bering Sea. We interviewed 36 community members during 2017–2020, documenting their observations of marine debris types, amount, distribution, and impacts over recent decades. Participants reported increasing plastic debris since the 1980s, particularly plastic bottles and fishing gear. Nearly 80% expressed concern about impacts to subsistence resources, including entanglement and ingestion. St. Paul Island community members’ experiences highlight that solving marine debris issues requires broader policies and mitigation strategies addressing sources of debris and advancing environmental justice by impact reduction. Furthermore, this case study can serve as an example of how locally relevant action plans can be developed in other coastal communities around the world by including knowledge and concerns of community members, as they are the most heavily and personally impacted by the marine debris on their shorelines. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:07:47Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-c4b0797c2fca4de4be68172c048a814d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2371-1671 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:07:47Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Canadian Science Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | FACETS |
| spelling | doaj.art-c4b0797c2fca4de4be68172c048a814d2023-09-21T13:00:17ZengCanadian Science PublishingFACETS2371-16712023-01-01811310.1139/facets-2023-0047Including local voices in marine debris conversations to advance environmental justice for island and coastal communities: perspectives from St. Paul Island, AlaskaVeronica M. Padula0Anne H. Beaudreau1Douglas Causey2Lauren M. Divine3Marissa Merculieff4Seattle Aquarium, Conservation Programs and Partnerships, Clean Seas Program, 1483 Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA, USAUniversity of Washington, School of Marine and Environmental Affairs, 3707 Brooklyn Avenue NE, Seattle, WA, USAUniversity of Alaska Anchorage, Department of Biological Science, 3103 Science Circle, Anchorage, AK, USAAleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government, 2050 Venia Minor Road, St. Paul Island, AK, USAAleut Community of St. Paul Island Tribal Government, 2050 Venia Minor Road, St. Paul Island, AK, USAMarine debris is ubiquitous across the global ocean and is an increasing threat to human health, economies, habitats, and wildlife. While local to national action plans are important in addressing this issue, they do not necessarily reflect the needs of coastal communities most heavily impacted. Remote island and coastal communities, particularly in Alaska, do not generate the majority of marine debris impacting their ecosystems; however, they are often left with the task of removal and disposal. Thus, the detrimental effects of marine debris are not only an ecological problem but an issue of environmental justice. This project aimed to catalyze the inclusion of place-based knowledge in marine debris solutions for St. Paul Island, a predominantly (>85%) Alaska Native community in the Bering Sea. We interviewed 36 community members during 2017–2020, documenting their observations of marine debris types, amount, distribution, and impacts over recent decades. Participants reported increasing plastic debris since the 1980s, particularly plastic bottles and fishing gear. Nearly 80% expressed concern about impacts to subsistence resources, including entanglement and ingestion. St. Paul Island community members’ experiences highlight that solving marine debris issues requires broader policies and mitigation strategies addressing sources of debris and advancing environmental justice by impact reduction. Furthermore, this case study can serve as an example of how locally relevant action plans can be developed in other coastal communities around the world by including knowledge and concerns of community members, as they are the most heavily and personally impacted by the marine debris on their shorelines.https://facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2023-0047plastic pollutionBering Sealocal and traditional knowledgemarine littersubsistenceenvironmental justice |
| spellingShingle | Veronica M. Padula Anne H. Beaudreau Douglas Causey Lauren M. Divine Marissa Merculieff Including local voices in marine debris conversations to advance environmental justice for island and coastal communities: perspectives from St. Paul Island, Alaska FACETS plastic pollution Bering Sea local and traditional knowledge marine litter subsistence environmental justice |
| title | Including local voices in marine debris conversations to advance environmental justice for island and coastal communities: perspectives from St. Paul Island, Alaska |
| title_full | Including local voices in marine debris conversations to advance environmental justice for island and coastal communities: perspectives from St. Paul Island, Alaska |
| title_fullStr | Including local voices in marine debris conversations to advance environmental justice for island and coastal communities: perspectives from St. Paul Island, Alaska |
| title_full_unstemmed | Including local voices in marine debris conversations to advance environmental justice for island and coastal communities: perspectives from St. Paul Island, Alaska |
| title_short | Including local voices in marine debris conversations to advance environmental justice for island and coastal communities: perspectives from St. Paul Island, Alaska |
| title_sort | including local voices in marine debris conversations to advance environmental justice for island and coastal communities perspectives from st paul island alaska |
| topic | plastic pollution Bering Sea local and traditional knowledge marine litter subsistence environmental justice |
| url | https://facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2023-0047 |
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