Symposium on marine litter ends at KU

A symposium on Marine Litter and Coastal Ecosystem Nexus (MariNEX) has ended at Khulna University recently, said a press release.

Over 260 participants from seven countries discussed the pressing issues of marine litter and coastal ecosystem degradation and their impact on livelihoods.

The three-day symposium featured more than 200 scientific papers presented across seven sessions, along with a poster presentation session. Two panel discussions and a field trip to the Sundarbans aimed to facilitate meaningful exchanges on sustainable solutions.

Organised by the Fisheries and Marine Resources Discipline of Khulna University, the symposium is supported by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) through the Integrated Management of the Sundarbans Mangroves and the Marine Protected Area of Swatch of No Ground in Bangladesh (SoNG) project.

The initiative is implemented by GIZ Bangladesh in collaboration with Bauhaus-Universität Weimar (SCIP Plastics Project).

Prof Martin Zimmer, an expert in mangrove ecology, delivered the keynote address on the role of mangrove forests in mitigating climate change and maintaining marine biodiversity. The event concluded with a closing session featuring key figures from the government and academia, followed by a field visit to the Sundarbans to assess the real-world impact of marine litter on coastal ecosystems and local communities.