Progress report for
Association of Arctic Expedition Cruise Operators' Clean Seas Project
Achievement at a glance
Significantly reduce the use of single-use plastics onboard vessel:Internal surveys of AECO members concluded that 90% of respondents listed the reduction of single-use plastic as a high priority and more than 80% of those surveyed have done an assessment regarding their consumption of single-use plastic onboard.
Enhance Cleanup efforts in the Arctic:
For nearly two decades, members AECO have been engaged in cleanup activities in the Arctic by picking up wasted when participating in excursion ashore. In Svalbard, the combined cleanup efforts have collected over 40,000 kilos of marine litter, to date. When visitors to the Arctic witness the marine litter problem firsthand and participating in cleanup activities, they are inspired to become more involved.
Educate and motivate passengers, staff and crew:
AECO has published Clean Up Svalbard Guidelines and Clean Seas Guidelines for Visitors to the Arctic, which include information on how visitors can contribute and participate in cleanup activities and provide travelers with information on responsible solutions to reducing their waste and plastic footprint before, during and after their trip.
Share knowledge and best practices:
AECO and the Governor of Svalbard are collaborating on a Clean Up Svalbard initiative to increase cleanup activities and build knowledge and statistics on garbage, distribution and cleaning efforts in Svalbard. As part of this collaboration, AECO members that carry out beach cleanups are asked to report their efforts. In addition, AECO initiated the Clean Up Svalbard Forum where all major stakeholders involved in cleanup initiatives can share knowledge, ideas and experienced. AECO is contributing to research projects that look at the origin, composition and distribution of marine waste, which will help the international community understand and address marine litter.
Challenges faced in implementation
If it werent for the expedition cruise sector, marine litter that has accumulated in remote beaches in the Arctic could be extremely challenging or impossible to cleanup. AECOs Clean Seas project is the results of private sector resources being utilized to carry out cleanup activities, which is unique. The level of coordination among the industry, not only individual companies, but also with local authorities is challenging. In addition, the Clean Seas project must make use of the available resources in a region with a lack of resources, infrastructure and long distances, which is also challenging. This coordination makes the Clean Seas Project unique and puts the industry and the forefront of the issue.The members of AECO are altering how tourists in the Arctic can give back. They are adding new and meaningful activities to their itineraries that can be offered as part of an eco-tourist experience, which can inspire similar initiative in other sectors and regions. The industry is also altering how science is conducted, by using AECO vessels, scientists participate in voyages organized by AECO members to collect data and can also engage passenger in citizen science activities.
AECO members are challenged by rethinking their facilities and adapting their products. Installing water and soap dispensers, removing single-use items, requiring products to come in different packaging are various ways our members are reducing their plastic footprint. These innovative solutions can be applied to other industry sectors.
Beneficiaries
AECO members have successfully educated passengers on marine plastic litter and have participated in several national and international meetings and conferences, such as the Harvard Kennedy School, The Wilson Center & Icelandic Chairmanship of the Arctic Council Workshop on Policy & Action on Plastic in the Arctic Ocean, to discuss this issue. AECO has also released considerable coverage in media and social media on marine plastic pollution and promoted environmental events, such as World Oceans Day.
AECO is contributing to research projects that will help the international community understand and address marine litter. In 2018 and 2019, AECO members were invited by a research team, called SALT, to collect marine litter which would be analyzed by researchers to study the litters origin. This analysis was carried out at two workshops in Longyearbyen in 2018 and 2019. In addition, AECO is a partner of the Akvaplan-niva-led MALINOR project (Mapping marine litter in the Norwegian and Russian Arctic Seas). The main objective of the project is to map areas of marine litter and describe its characteristics in the Norwegian Sea, Barents Sea, the High Arctic and the Kara Sea with a multi-disciplinary approach in collaboration with Norwegian and Russian institutions. As part of this project, scientists participate in voyages organized by AECO members to collect data and engage passenger in citizen science activities.
The educational materials that are developed by the Clean Seas project, such as the Clean Up Svalbard Guidelines and Clean Seas Guidelines for Visitors to the Arctic, can be used widely by other industry groups, such as land-based tourism, conventional cruise ships, and any person looking to reduce their everyday plastic consumption.