Che le tartarughe marine mangino praticamente quasiasi cosa galleggi, è cosa nota: per questo è importante capire, in un mare che si va riempiendo sempre più di plastica, quanto sia grande il pericolo per loro. Cecilia Silvestri è la ricercatrice dell’ISPRA che con Marco Matiddi sta seguendo un progetto europeo, INDICIT, che cerca proprio di stabilire questo. Al 6 International Marine Debris Conference di San Diego ha presentato i dati di oltre 600 tartarughe analizzate finora nell’intero progetto (poster sotto il video): più della metà aveva ingerito plastica, dalle lenze ai sacchetti, alle caramelle, alle cartine delle merendine….

Trends in the amount and composition of litter ingested by sea turtles: The Indicit Project 

presenting: Cecilia Silvestri (Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), Italy); authors: Marco Matiddi (Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA)), Jesus Thomas (Marine Zoology Unit, Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, University of Valencia), Giuseppe Andrea de Lucia (Institute for Coastal Marine Environment-National Research Council (IAMC-CNR)), Christopher Pham (Institute of Marine Research and MARE-Marine and Environmental Science Centre), M Bradai (Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer), H Kaberi (Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR)), Yakup Kaska (Pamukkale University, Sea Turtle Rescue andRehabilitation Centre (DEKAMER)), Francoise Claro (Museum National D’Histoire Naturelle), Ana Loza (University of Gran Canaria), Claude Miaud (Centre for Ecology and Functional Ecology CEFE-CNRS-EPHE)

The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) aims to achieve the protection of marine biodiversity and the sustainable use of the marine environment across Europe, with the objective of achieving the Good Environmental Status (GES) by 2020. Marine litter (Descriptor 10) is one of the most important anthropogenic pressures on marine environment. The Indicator “trends in the amount and composition of litter ingested by marine organism” is one of the target for the monitoring of GES for D10. The INDICIT project, financed by the EU, is based on a 10 partners consortium from the public sector established in EU and non-EU countries, being all contracting parties of the OSPAR and/or Barcelona Conventions. The INDICIT actions aim to obtain a precise definition of this indicator (e.g. threshold values, biological criteria, temporal and spatial scales of use). Starting from the Fulmar EcoQO and the MSFD guidelines, a harmonized procedures of collection and analysis of plastic ingested by loggerhead turtles Caretta caretta have been elaborated. Marine litter is subdivided in categories and sub-categories, counted and weighed. Data are collected according to a specific datasheet with basic and optional parameters in order to better understand the biological constraints. The analyses are performed both on dead turtles and on hospitalized ones. Moreover, local training has been performed in each participating country with the aim of creating national networks. Similar activity enlarged to the Mediterranean basin was performed with a special training course held in Italy, involving UNEP/Map delegates from the South Mediterranean Countries. Mediterranean and European researchers and sea turtle rescue centres are invited to contact INDICIT partners in order to join the international network.