Reshaping marine debris management post-COVID-19: Integrating adaptive attributes for enhanced community engagement

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly reshaped global environmental dynamics, with coastal and marine ecosystems among the most affected areas. This adjustment period has also seen a surge in tourist activities in these regions, necessitating advanced strategies for marine debris management (MDM). Our study introduces an enhanced approach to MDM in the post-pandemic era, integrating essential attributes such as asset facilities, 3R flexibility (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle), responsive organizational structures, education on the impact of marine debris, and agency motivation within an adaptive capacity framework. By evaluating marginal willingness to participate (MWTP) across three hypothetical scenarios, our research highlights the comprehensive adaptation of the MDM scenario as the most effective, evidenced by the highest MWTP. This indicates a pronounced community readiness to engage in an integrated MDM approach, crucial in increasing tourist visits and challenging existing MDM frameworks. Our findings illustrate the necessity of an integrated approach to bolster MDM effectiveness in managing the heightened debris load from the post-pandemic resurgence of tourism. The incremental increase in MWTP across scenarios suggests that embracing more inclusive and unified strategies can significantly enhance community participation and the efficacy of MDM practices.