About the Project

Estuaries are an important link in the chain of trash becoming marine debris, but the transport and transformation of plastic and other debris through watersheds and in estuaries have been understudied. Marine debris alters aquatic ecosystems, contaminates waterways and impacts water quality and habitat resilience. Across the NERRS, marine debris is an issue of concern for reserves and their surrounding communities. Despite overwhelming interest in growing programs related to marine debris, each reserve is at a different stage of development in addressing the issues. To address this need, this project facilitated four knowledge transfer workshops designed to promote discussion across reserves and with the greater Debris Community of Practice (DCoP), resulting in a Roadmap for Addressing Marine Debris in the NERRS.

About this resource

This Roadmap, which stems from a NERR Science Collaborative (NSC) Science Transfer project, aims to guide and support Reserves in promoting understanding, behavior change, and policy action to manage and reduce marine debris in estuaries.

The project explored the NERRS’s niche in marine debris—how the System can uniquely contribute to marine debris remediation efforts and effectively address the issue at national and local levels. Feedback from workshops across Reserves and with the Marine Debris Community of Practice (DCoP) shaped the Roadmap, identifying three main integrative approaches:

1. Develop a national narrative for the NERRS.
2. Build relationships and partnerships with the DCoP.
3. Support each Reserve’s work by sharing resources and opportunities.

Each integrative approach detailed in this Roadmap includes application pathways and case studies that showcase the achievements of various Reserves. The Roadmap is a resource, both for Reserves and DCoP members to address marine debris in individual estuaries and for the NERRS to understand its unique role in the marine debris community, becoming more strategic and effective as a system.

Resources

• Roadmap Main Document (PDF)

Additional Resources

• Roadmap Appendices (PDF): This document contains supporting appendices for the Roadmap. Included: References from emergence of user needs; project timeline; collaborative project charter; results from knowledge transfer workshops; and Padlet summary from the workshops.
• Factsheet (PDF): This document supports communication about the Roadmap.
• Marine Debris Messaging Guidance (PDF): This document supports consistent communications around NERRS work related to the impacts of marine debris and plastic pollution.