Following a successful experience in São Paulo, the Strategic Plan for Monitoring and Assessing Marine Litter (PEMALM, the acronym in Portuguese) was relaunched in 2022 with a focus on Rio de Janeiro, Bahia, Amapá, and Paraná. Implemented by the Oceanographic Institute of the University of São Paulo in partnership with FUNBIO and funded by the Norwegian Embassy, the initiative seeks to map key regional stakeholders in collaboration with State Environmental Departments, aligning the plan’s actions with solid waste public policies.

Last year, a collaborative platform was developed to compile research, bibliographic materials, and indicators on marine litter within the framework of the São Paulo plan, implemented between 2019 and 2020. This initiative represents contributions from various sectors of society, addressing the need to better understand the marine litter problem in the state and identify effective strategies to combat it.

Brazil lacks reference values and a national database on marine litter. A comprehensive assessment of the main sources of waste carried from land to the ocean, along with the alignment of different methodologies, is crucial for establishing scientifically grounded mitigation measures. Monitoring programs and evaluations of field interventions are essential to reducing uncertainties and improving the effectiveness of marine litter reduction efforts.