A short introduction

From the first steps taken with the island of Lanzarote and Marine Sciences For Society 10 years ago, the Zero Plastic Working Group was launched in May 2018 during the World Network of Island and Coastal BR meeting in Menorca. Now, following the Dublin Commitment made during the April 2019 EuroMAB Conference, We call for an ethical and collaborative process rooted in local community values to confront the increasing impacts of plastic pollution on biodiversity and human health around the world, in the atmosphere, oceans, freshwater, and terrestrial systems, as a direct consequence of increasing plastic production.

United by collective responsibility and the desire to share results from cutting-edge research and local action, we invite Biosphere Reserves individually, along with each of the existing Biosphere Reserve networks and UNESCO as a whole, to lead the growing call of concern about plastic pollution and raise Our voice as a global network of Biosphere Reserves to spread this emerging awareness and take action: Enough is enough.

Main Objectives

We outlined a set of challenges and actions for Biosphere Reserves committed to joining in on efforts for reducing plastic pollution in policy spheres ranging from the individual to the collective, such as educational institutions, families, and governments. We call upon each Biosphere Reserve to lead by example and set in motion a collective local process for facing this global threat that is open to and encourages institutions, social entities, and all citizens to contribute to answering the Zero Plastic challenge.

We established a road map for channeling these efforts at a network level. The Zero Plastic Working Group has committed to developing web tools and a collaborative networking method for maintaining effective communication and exchange of practical actions, experiences, assessment, and results based on 5 key principles.

5 key principles

Make it simple;

Take it easy;

Lead by example;

Turn off the tap;

Enough is enough.

Zero Plastic Biosphere Reserves

Archipelago Sea Area

Blekinge Archipelago

Cat Ba Archipelago

Commander Islands

Fuerteventura

Gran Canaria

Isle of Man

Jeju

La Hotte

Lanzarote

Menorca

Ometepe

Palawan

Península de Guanahacabibes

Terres de l’Ebre

Urdaibai

…under construction…