The seventh edition of the citizen science initiative ‘1m2 for rivers, lakes and reservoirs’, of the Libera Project, an SEO/BirdLife initiative in alliance with Ecoembes, held from March 9 to 24, now has an official report.
The celebration of this new edition has coincided with the International Day of Rivers (March 14) and has had the participation of almost 7,000 volunteers, who have worked on the collection and characterization of garbage in river environments. Thanks to this action, it has been possible to collect data on the volume, quantity and type of 8.6 tons of abandoned waste.
The collections have taken place at a total of 430 points throughout the country and 77,616 waste have been characterized and collected to have more information and generate knowledge to find solutions to this environmental problem. Among the trash most found and characterized in river environments, cigarette butts, pieces of plastic measuring 0-2.5 cm and drink cans stand out.
The campaign has managed to involve a wide range of sectors of society. From the Local Administration, which has established 99 points, to the educational centers, which have contributed 48, and the companies, responsible for the organization of 38. In addition, another 181 points have been added thanks to the participation of various organizations and associations , highlighted the Libera project in a balance sheet of the initiative.
In the task of waste characterization, all these groups have made use of the ‘eLitter’ app, created by Paisaje Limpio y Vertidos Cero in collaboration with Libera, which facilitates this necessary work to be able to study the materials and their typology. All the information obtained is directly integrated into the database of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) and is reflected in the ‘Garbage Barometer’ of the Libera Project.
“Rivers are the arteries of our planet. As with our circulatory system, we need to know in detail what the state of health of the river ecosystems is because we have a lot at stake in it. From the Libera Project we want to provide knowledge about one of the ways that human beings attack them; the trash. Unfortunately, it is not the only problem they suffer from. We ask the entire society for responsibility and zero tolerance for this type of environmental aggression,” says Miguel Muñoz, coordinator of the Libera Project at SEO/BirdLife.
“One more year, for the Libera Project, it is a pride to witness the commitment of citizens and entities to our natural environments. Initiatives such as ‘1m2 for rivers, lakes and reservoirs’ are a clear example that the fight against litter is a shared responsibility. We appreciate the hard work of thousands of people who provide us with vital information about the types of waste that contaminate river spaces, which allows us to focus on prevention and environmental education,” says Sara Güemes, coordinator of the Libera Project at Ecoembes.
