Improving marine pollution community alert systems was one of the themes of a workshop held by environmental group Coastwatch with Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown (Dlr) County Council last week.
The event, themed “Preventing Oil and Chemical Pollution”, was the second of three such workshops organised by Coastwatch as part of a Horizon Europe project called More4Nature.
The EU project aims to bring about transformative change in environmental protection by including informed citizens and communities as key actors in collaborative environmental compliance assurance.
The event, themed “Preventing Oil and Chemical Pollution”, was the second of three such workshops organised by Coastwatch as part of a Horizon Europe project called More4Nature
Two project field trips were linked to the workshop - the Native Oyster Restoration Project led by David Lawlor of the Green Ocean Foundation, which highlighted how much quality and trust in harbour water quality one has to have for this bivalve to survive and breed; and a trip to Sandycove’s 40 Foot bathing area.
At the 40 Foot, there was a demonstration of sea step and slipway cleaning methods, and how to keep intertidal surfaces slip free without using hazardous chemicals.
Trial plots using strong natural bristle brushes and water jet methods were proposed.
Cllr Jim O’Leary, Dlr County Council cathaoirleach, said the local authority was “proud to host this important workshop, which brings together experts, community voices and authorities to address pollution risks”.
“Our coastal environment and marine biodiversity are such an important part of our county, and we must work together to ensure its long-term protection,” he said.
Dlr County Council chief executive Frank Curran said the workshop “aligns with our commitment to the protection of biodiversity and our coastal environment”.
“By strengthening pollution response mechanisms and enhancing public engagement, we can create a more resilient and thriving marine ecosystem,”he said.
Karin Dubsky, Coastwatch coordinator, said that great progress was made, building upon the water pollution issues and alert system ideas discussed at a January workshop in Trinity College.
“There is recognition that there is huge scope for citizen science monitoring and also for pollution alerts which have enough location and content information to enable and support faster authority reaction to pollution incidents,” she said.
“The cooperation with Dlr County Council and staff engagement across water, nature and shore management was really outstanding, and a special thanks goes to them, the Green Ocean Foundation, Bunzl Ireland and the volunteers, experts, sea swimmers, and local and national authorities who joined in,” she said.
The third in the series of workshops is due to be held in Galway on March 22nd, marking World Water Day.
