The Marine National Park Headquarters (hereinafter referred to as MNPH), in collaboration with the Dongsha Command of the Southern Region Coast Guard Administration and other relevant units, held the “Dongsha 2015 ICC International Coastal Cleanup” on September 20, 2015, at Dongsha Atoll National Park—Taiwan’s national park established with marine ecological protection as its primary mission. The event responded to the global ICC (International Coastal Cleanup) initiative participated in by more than 160 countries worldwide.
The ICC International Coastal Cleanup was founded in 1986 by the Ocean Conservancy (OC) in the United States. Its purpose is to encourage the public to remove debris accumulated along beaches and waterways around the world, and by tracing the sources of marine litter, to raise awareness about maintaining clean coastlines and changing behaviors that contribute to marine pollution.
This cleanup effort mobilized nearly one hundred participants from various stationed units on Dongsha, including MNPH, the Dongsha Command, the Fifth Coast Guard Brigade Dongsha Detachment, the Air Force, Navy, Dongguang Hospital, the Kaohsiung Wild Bird Society, and the International Research Station of National Sun Yat-sen University. To ensure participants fully understood the objectives and procedures of the ICC initiative, MNPH arranged a marine conservation lecture on September 20. The session was delivered by Researcher Wu Shu-hui from the Forestry Research Institute of the Council of Agriculture and Technician Peng Cheng-liang from the Dongsha Management Station. The lecture introduced topics such as drifting seeds, the purpose of the ICC movement, operational procedures, debris classification, and statistical reporting methods. A field cleanup activity was conducted later that afternoon.
On the afternoon of September 20, participants gathered in front of the National Monument before dividing into groups to begin the cleanup. After more than three hours of intensive work, approximately 2,300 meters of shoreline were cleared, and a total of 915 kilograms of various types of marine debris were removed. The collected data will be submitted to the Ocean Conservancy for compilation, providing experts and scholars worldwide with information to monitor and analyze the sources of marine debris, with the goal of further preventing marine pollution. Commander Sung Tzu-yang of the Dongsha Command also encouraged stationed personnel that, in addition to safeguarding national security and conducting patrol duties, they should strive to protect the natural ecology of this “blue homeland.”
According to the results of this cleanup and long-term beach debris surveys conducted by the Dongsha Management Station, more than 60% of the waste found on Dongsha’s beaches originates from mainland China and Southeast Asian countries. The majority consists of petrochemical plastic products such as plastic bottles, foam materials, and polystyrene. Scientific research has confirmed that these non-biodegradable wastes can break down into microplastics that enter organisms through the food chain, causing serious adverse effects. It is hoped that more members of the public will actively participate in protecting our marine ecosystems and engage in environmentally friendly marine initiatives.
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| Marine conservation lecture | Participants working diligently during the coastal cleanup |
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| Statistical survey of collected beach debris | Successful cleanup results with group photo of participants |