Month: July 2023

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How Citizen science projects can support UN Sustainable Development Goals

We are excited to see the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) Database being used in this paper to explore how citizen science projects measuring beach plastic debris can support the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals. The UN established the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as a framework for sustainable development, including SDG 14, which aims to reduce marine pollution, specifically plastic debris. However, national data on plastic debris has been limited, despite citizen science projects collecting relevant information for SDG

28 July 2023

A Record-Breaking Cleanup in Wuthathi

Wuthathi Ngaachi (Country) and Karakara (Sea Country) is located in the area surrounding Shelburne Bay on the North Eastern coast of Cape York, about 800km north of Cairns. It is a place full of incredible cultural significance and biodiversity, and the landscape absolutely takes your breath away. However, unfortunately the beaches are heavily impacted by marine debris from locations far and wide.

24 July 2023

White spill: Life cycle assessment approach to managing marine EPS litter from flood-released pontoons

The South-east Queensland rains and Flooding Event of Februaryโ€“March 2022 was caused by prolonged, severe rains which caused fatalities, destruction of houses, businesses, and transportation systems and infrastructure, and led to the environmental catastrophe known as the “White Spill” event. Extreme volumes of marine debris flowed into open water across the Eastern Seaboard of Australia as flood waters began to drain from the inundated landmass. The force of the floodwaters dislodged and damaged infrastructure including marine pontoons from river systems

21 July 2023

Project ReCon: Tracking Ghost Nets with Conflict Island Conservation Initiative

We are so excited to have the Conflict Island Conservation Initiative as a partner in Project ReCon! Project ReCon is a collaboration between Tangaroa Blue and Satlink, a world-leading provider of technological solutions for the fishing sector. Tangaroa Blue and our AMDI partners collect commercial fishing GPS buoys during clean-up events, and Satlink facilitates reassigning ownership of these buoys from the commercial fishing fleet to Tangaroa Blue. This partnership enables us to embark on an innovative journey to address the

19 July 2023

2023 Great Barrier Reef Clean-up Site Registration Form

We are so pleased to have you join the fun by registering your own site for the Great Barrier Reef Clean-up. If you’ve never organised a clean-up before, no need to worry! We offer comprehensive clean-up kits containing bags, sharps containers, necessary paperwork, and gloves. Additionally, we provide all the information you require to successfully conduct the clean-up and properly sort the data. Please fill out the form below and weโ€™ll be in touch. If you’d like to register as

18 July 2023

2023 Great Barrier Reef Volunteer Registration Form

Thank you for joining the Great Barrier Reef Clean-up! All public GBRCU events will be listed on the map below and will be updated regularly. Light blue are major/flagship events run by ReefClean. Dark blue are self registered sites hosted by other organisations and are open to the public. If you can’t see a clean-up in your location, please register your interest and location below and we will get in touch if one is registered in your area. If youโ€™d

18 July 2023

Microplastic Study Reveals Insights and Calls for Continued Monitoring

The five-year ReefClean Australian Microplastic Assessment Project (AUSMAP)(2019-2023) has collected 126 samples from 44 sites, providing valuable insights into microplastic pollution in the Great Barrier Reef (GBR). The recently added March 2023 samples mark the conclusion of this study, highlighting both the seasonal and varying nature of microplastic loads and the low overall levels of microplastics compared to densely populated areas. However, the project underscores the need for continued monitoring to analyse the effects of climatic variances and address the

17 July 2023

Alternatives to Balloons: A Real Reason to Celebrate!

Alternatives to Balloons – A Real Reason to Celebrate Article updated in February 2025 Releasing balloons may seem like a harmless and fun way to celebrate, but as Isaac Newton once said, what goes up must come down! This is no different for balloons that are released into the air, and unfortunately they pose a key threat to the Great Barrier Reef and our oceans as a whole.ย  Most balloon releases occur in suburban or rural areas. This is because

11 July 2023