THOUSANDS of Jamaicans are today participating in the removal of garbage and other debris from the nation’s beaches, as Jamaica observes International Coastal Clean-Up Day (ICCD).

Up to a week ago, close to 9,000 volunteers had registered, according to programme co-ordinator at Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), Suzanne Stanley.

“Last year it was about 6,000. Right now that figure is close to 9,000 and could get up to 10,000,” she said.

JET is the local coordinator of ICCD, while a range of corporate and government entities provide sponsorhip. The main sponsors are the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF), which has pledged over $7 million for this year’s effort.

ICCD is spearheaded by the Ocean Conservancy in the United States and is in over 90 countries worldwide. It has been endorsed by high-level international organisations, including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

In Jamaica, which houses UNEP’s Caribbean Environment Programme, regional coordinator Nelson Andrade Colmenares said “the impact of plastics is not only disastrous but expensive, generating US$13 billion in annual damages to marine ecosystems”.

He added that UNEP CEP is doing its part to tackle this global problem through its support of the Global Partnership on Marine Litter, which aims to “protect human health and the global environment by the reduction and management of marine litter”.

Programme officer for UNEP-CEP’s Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife sub-programme Alessandra Vanzella-Khouri had a similar opinion to Colmenares with regard to the threat of marine litter on marine life.

“…In fact, 50-80 per cent of sea turtles that are found dead are known to have ingested some form of marine debris she said, making reference to a recent UNEP-supported report entitled, “Valuing Plastics”. The report also showed that plastics have entangled whales and dolphins and destroyed critical habitats such as coral reefs.

Vanzella-Khouri noted further that the Wider Caribbean Region heavily relies on these ecosystems for livelihoods and nutrition, and therefore it is critical that we put measures in place to protect them from the impacts of marine litter, especially plastics.