Aldabra Clean Up Project (ACUP)

Coral reefs, such as the Seychelles’ Aldabra Atoll, host a huge fraction of marine species despite covering only a tiny portion of the ocean floor. Protecting these underwater structures is crucial in maintaining biodiversity. However, in recent decades, waste management has not kept up with drastically increasing waste production. Mismanaged plastic waste from human activities on land has since reached marine waters and threatened aquatic ecosystems, including the Aldabra. Acknowledging the critical role of the atoll in global biodiversity, the Aldabra Cleanup Project (ACUP) aimed at combating marine pollution on Aldabra by tapping into global programs and using a holistic approach to raise awareness and empower the community to take action.

The atoll’s remoteness has left it largely untouched by human activities and allowed it to remain a biodiversity hotspot. However, just as plastic has already reached the ocean’s deepest trenches, plastic pollution has not spared Aldabra. Approximately 55 beaches around Aldabra are already swarming with plastic waste, threatening the atoll’s pristine environment.

The Aldabra Cleanup Project executed a five-step strategy through fundraising, awareness and education, waste removal, research, and waste management and processing.

The cleanup efforts removed 25 tons of marine debris from Aldabra. Then, local conservation organizations turned tons of discarded fishing gear (the second most common type of plastic waste in Aldabra) into mooring buoys and boundary markers for surrounding marine protected areas. Meanwhile, the most common item, with a quantity of 50,000 pieces, was flip-flops, which were repurposed in schools as artwork and outdoor seating implements.

In addition to the huge amounts of plastic waste removed, the project also built a local community of more environmentally aware Seychellois. The data detailing the types and quantities of waste found in the atoll, the analyses of their transport pathways, and the insights provided by the project team members provide a solid starting point for future research and cleanup efforts aimed at keeping Aldabra Atoll a rich, plastic-free biodiversity hotspot.