After a well-deserved summer break, the members of the BeMed Community got together again for another Rendez-Vous, this time on the theme of participatory science !!
The members of theCommunity were not alone in discussing this subject, as they were joined by members of the Fondation Tara Océan and Jean-François Ghiglione, Director of Research at the CNRS. This was an opportunity to present the Plastique à la Loupe Protocol, developed by Tara. The aim is to enable members who wish to do so to contribute to the collection of data for science, accompanied by Tara.
Participatory science has become an essential tool for raising awareness. Whether you’re 7 or 77, collecting waste, sorting it into categories and counting it can make pollution tangible. The data can also be used by scientists, or to support the advocacy work of associations. Surfrider Foundation Europe‘s Ocean Initiatives is one of the largest databases on the subject. Thanks to participatory science, we know that in 2022, the most common waste found on beaches was cigarette butts, with 487,062 butts collected during the 2,184 collections organised around the world!
