Inspired by the dramatic plastic pollution on the ground, we are developing a waste collection and treatment concept in an island region in Southeast Asia since about two years. In doing so, we incorporate maritime ecology and socioeconomic knowledge in order to holistically combine societal and technical measures. Through our membership in the Alliance, we want to share our knowledge with other stakeholders. Thus, we can link with other competent partners and also learn from each other in order to find and apply solutions together.
As marine biologists we have one of the central principles of ecology, circularity, present every day. Nature works in cycles. In the global context, long-established scientific concepts (water cycle, carbon cycle, etc.) have been communicated to the broader public, although it is mainly the disturbances, the deviations from the textbook representations that attract attention. The small increase in atmospheric carbon dioxide, for example, that mankind has been causing since the beginning of industrialization has become so drastic that many people are becoming aware now that the hitherto practiced way of linear economy poses a threat to human survival. To a similar extent, the pollution of the environment, which is even more noticeable due to its visibility, e.g. plastic waste in the oceans, is a symptom which is now receiving high social attention. The positive properties of plastics such as versatility and longevity create a global problem in the context of modern throwaway culture. Learning from nature can provide us with solutions. We as marine scientists offer our knowledge for this purpose.