The LIBERA project organized the sixth edition of the 1m2 for beaches and seas citizen campaign, carried out in alliance with SEO/BirdLife and Ecoembes. Teams mapped and gathered stray litter from 289 coastal locations across Spain. The aim was to study how trash affects natural coastlines and marine environments, remove it, and analyze environmental impacts to raise public awareness about coastal health and pollution.
The campaign’s timing aligns with International Beach Cleanup Day, observed the following Saturday, September 17. Volunteers from participating groups and associations took responsibility for collecting and characterizing waste at diverse coastal points and seabeds, with the goal of informing strategies that can effectively mitigate this environmental problem.
Among the 289 action points, notable sites included Torre de la Higuera Beach in Doñana National Park in Huelva, Ons Island within the Atlantic Islands of Galicia National Park in Pontevedra, Playa Honda in Tenerife, and the Albufera-Devesa Nature Park in Valencia.
There are visuals from LIBERA volunteers engaged in the activity. The collections span the length and breadth of Spain’s coast as well as interior locations. Details about the exact sites and dates of each collection are published on the campaign portal, where volunteers can consult locations and schedules for upcoming actions.
This sixth edition brings together a broad range of collaborating groups, including the Marine Watchers Network, Oceanidas, and the Spanish Federation of Underwater Activities FEDAS, alongside other partners such as the Spanish Red Cross, Man and Territory Association, Matalascañas Dune Park Association, Promemar, Terramare, ADESP, Alnitak, Mater, Murcia Clean Zone Association, and ANSE.
On the 24th, a member of the Royal family participated in the turtle release in Andratx, Mallorca, through the named foundation. The visit also included a divers organized cleanup on Dragonera Island, highlighting the ongoing commitment to marine conservation.
Identify waste during fieldwork
Volunteers used the MARNOBA application, developed by the Zero Discharge Association and KAI Marine Services, to classify collected waste. After each release, the data contributed to LIBERA’s growing database, with hundreds of thousands of entries recorded since 2017. This information feeds into the Garbage Barometer and the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Spanish Demographic Challenge ecosystem.
In the previous campaign, more than 6.7 tons of litter were recorded along Spain’s coast, with participation from over 4,500 volunteers. About 61,483 items were cataloged, and the 2021 most common finds included cigarette butts, beverage cans, straws, cutlery, and plastic cups.
Queen Sofia participated with enthusiasm in LIBERA campaigns, underscoring the campaign’s impact and the ongoing need for action. Project coordinator Miguel Muñoz emphasized that the effort highlights a serious hazard to ocean health and warned that millions of metric tons of plastic reach the oceans each year, signaling hope that international agreements can curb plastic pollution in the near future. LIBERA Project coordination team
Sara Güemes, coordinator of the LIBERA Project at Ecoembes, noted that strong involvement by associations, organizations, and volunteers has a positive effect on coastal environments. She stressed gratitude to all participants for their role in the sixth edition of 1m2 for beaches and seas.
The campaign schedule and collection locations are available through the project’s events page and related notices. LIBERA campaign portal
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