Italian TV channels take a keen interest in the Interreg Med Plastic Busters MPAs project
During the quarantine and while travel restrictions were imposed, Italian viewers had the chance to travel across the Mediterranean Sea alongside the Plastic Busters MPAs project partners to have a closer look at the scientific means the project uses to tackle plastic problems.
The question: “How can microplastics affect Mediterranean biodiversity, including endangered species?”was at the very heart of the discussions held by the Plastic Busters MPAs team and taken up by the Italian TV channels Rai 1 and Sky TG24, who have dedicated interesting TV reports to the plastic pollution issue. The documentary produced by Sky TG 24 provides a great picture of the project through a series of images captured on board our research vessels and the interviews of Cristina Fossi (UNISI) and François Galgani (IFREMER) among many other experts.
Indeed, last summer, the project led a series of marine litter research expeditions in 4 Mediterranean marine protected areas and invited several TV channels to document the work in the field. During these expeditions, the team monitored the presence of marine litter in Mediterranean pelagic and coastal MPAs and its impact on marine wildlife.
You have already been able to follow the expeditions from day to day, notably thanks to the travel journals published in English by the team.
The media: an open forum to raise awareness of plastic issues These documentaries and interviews with
Italian TV channels were a new opportunity to invite the general public to learn more about the project, to raise awareness of plastic issues in the Mediterranean and to provide the public with clear and correct scientific information. Cristina Fossi noted that: “It is of crucial importance to bridge the gap between science and the media in order to ensure that societal actors are provided with accurate and reliable information that can pinpoint effective actions.”
Indeed, François Galgani (from IFREMER – Plastic Busters MPAs Partner) intervened in the documentary and re-clarified: “There is no plastic island between Corsica and Italy,” refuting the information often circulated by some media on this subject and demystifying the plastic island concept, which is merely hyperbole.
You can watch the two TV reports again online:
Odissea Plastica The Sky TG 24 documentary, with Paolo Fratter, is a journey to discover theimpact that plastic has on our ecosystem, and involvesfalse myths and specific problems.
La memoria del mare Linea Blu Programme by Rai Italia, presented by Donatella Bianchi
Please note that users need to register on the Rai Replay portal in order to watch the video