The Australian Microplastic Assessment Project (AUSMAP), a citizen science project that is tracking plastic pollution along Australia’s coast and waterways, has won the Australian Museum 2021 Department of Industry, Science, Energy and Resources Eureka Prize for Innovation in Citizen Science.
AUSMAP, an Australia-based project by the Total Environment Centre in collaboration with Macquarie University, utilises citizen science to tackle the global problem of microplastics. Whether it is in our own homes and bodies or in the remote corners of the world, microplastics have been found almost everywhere. With countless microplastics found in the waterways around the world, AUSMAP sets out to map the presence of microplastic pollution along Australia’s coast and waterways with the help of scientifically trained citizen scientists.
Over the past three years, AUSMAP has developed and implemented an entire ‘source to solution pathway’, from identifying microplastic hotspots to finding effective solutions. In this process, over 700 citizen scientists have removed well over 3 million pieces from Australian shorelines and identified numerous hotspots. AUSMAP Program Director, Dr Michelle Blewitt from the Total Environment Centre (TEC) says that ‘’The impressive contribution from citizen scientists, that have stopped millions of microplastics from reaching the waterways, is only the beginning as we are discovering more microplastic hotspots on a monthly basis.”
Dr Scott Wilson from Macquarie University and Research Director of AUSMAP highlights the need for AUSMAPs solutions to mitigate the effects of microplastic pollution around the country, from education, leading to behavioural change, to effective microplastic traps. He says, “This is the first time anyone has attempted a multi-faceted management approach to micro-litter while empowering citizen scientists to have a significant impact in generating sustainable environmental solutions”.
Read more about our nomination as a finalist and about the award here!
If you would like more information about our selection or would like to reach out to AUSMAP for an interview, feel free to email us at info (at) ausmap.org. If you would like to join our citizen science program, head here! If you would like to donate to our program, head here! As a registered charity, donations above $2 are tax deductible. Any and all donations are more than appreciated to keep our program running!