About

Our talented colleague, Vilma Havas, this week successfully defended her PhD in environmental and resource economics at Aalborg University in Denmark. She brilliantly presented her thesis, "Improving the sustainability of downstream solutions to marine macroplastic pollution by applying systems thinking."

Through her PhD work, Vilma has produced research and policy papers that provide new perspectives and guidelines for Norway and the world on achieving more sustainable management of plastic waste and pollution. Her thesis investigates how the application of systems thinking can improve
the sustainability of existing downstream solutions to marine macroplastic pollution, considering the currently highly linear plastics economy as a global system, while applying a Norwegian perspective to it.

We congratulate Vilma on a excellent PhD defense and look forward to future research projects together!

Until the spring of 2028, SALT will be working on marine conservation and the restoration of marine habitats and ecosystems as part of a new international research project funded by the EU. The BLUE CONNECT project addresses the urgent need to protect and restore marine habitats and ecosystems and to overcome gaps in the effective implementation of EU and global legislation by mobilizing the MPA managers, authorities, industries and local communities to co-develop and demonstrate a systematic approach to marine conservation planning and management. SALT will be participating in the project together with NIVA, while Raet National Park is highlighted as one of the example conservation areas.

The world's first-ever World Cleanup Day took place in Tromsø on September 20. This global event, established by the UN, will be celebrated annually to combat the urgent issue of mismanaged waste and pollution and to encourage worldwide participation in voluntary cleanup activities. The theme for this year's event at the Fram Centre was "Arctic cities and marine litter". Among the presentations was the work of "Rydd i Tide." Rydd i Tide is managed by SALT on behalf of the Norwegian Retailers' Environment Fund.

We have monitored Litter deposition and resuspension for 31 months on three Arctic beaches in the Lofoten archipelago in Norway. In an article published, in cooperation with Akvaplan-niva, in the Marine Pollution Bulletin, we describes the effects of tides and weather on deposition and turnover, and implications for cleanup strategies. Read the article here.

Together with our partners in the EUROqCHARM project, we have published in the scientific journal Ocean & Coastal Management, about monitoring of marine litter. The article is based on a review of existing monitoring programs for marine litter in Europe.

How can fisheries crime be prevented? That is the question being asked in the JustFish research project. Together with project manager Nofima, UiT Norway's Arctic University and the University of Manchester, causes for the fishery legislations being violated are investigated. This week the project visit "The Fishing capital" Båtsfjord, where a workshop with fishermen and industry is on the programme. Read more about the project here.

The Mannar Region Systemic Solutions (MARESSOL) project conducted by a coalition consisting of IUCN (Sri Lanka), LEF(Sri Lanka), SALT(Norway) and SDMRI (Tamil Nadu), is addressing the concerns of ALDFG in the Gulf of Mannar through 2 years of research across 17 study sites to understand the composition of macro debris in the region. The findings were stark; ~40% of all macro debris found along the Gulf of Mannar was abandoned, lost or discarded fishing gear (ALDFG). Furthermore, most of the gear used in Sri Lanka is made out of Nylon 6, a material that has incredible recycling properties and when effectively managed, has the potential to create circular economies. Through MARESSOL, a National Advisory Committee (NAC) chaired by the Ministry of Environment was created to address policy regulations, and registration of gear at the national level and steer circular solutions.

Together with our Norwegian and Finnish partners in the Interreg Aurora project "From labs to Landmark", SALT this week presented our feasibility study for digital, knowledge-based visitor management and dissemination in Northern Skandinavia.

While nature is the most important reason for visiting the region, the study shows a need for better information about nature, local life and culture, to prevent localized overtourism and other tourism-related problems. At the same time, digital solutions are seen as an attractive tool for reaching new visitors, extending their stay and reaching out with information.

Read the report here

Sign up for our webinar 19. February in cooperation with NIVA and IKHAPP. This webinar aims to uncover the role of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in combating plastic pollution and learn how technology can drive positive change for our oceans and rivers. The webinar is moderated by Carl Höjman, Business Area Manager – Marine Litter at SALT, together with Morten Goodwin, Professor at the University of Agder (UiA).

Christmas celebration at SALT`s offices from the north to the south, and from the east to the west. We have reached the finish line with major tasks, and are looking foreward to new, exciting projects in 2024. Now a well-deserved holiday awaits, where we will gather strength for the coming year. We wish all our friends, partners, customers, competitors and followers a very Merry Christmas. Greetings from all of us at SALT. We will be back in the office from 2. January.

We are interested in learning about your experiences regarding using digital tools as a part of travel experiences, for example apps, VR glasses, AR filters on your phone, or audio guides. Even if you haven't used these before, we would still like to hear from you!

The survey is done as a part of Interreg Aurora funded From Labs to Landmarks project in cooperation with SALT and University of Helsinki.

We appreciate it if you also share the survey link in your networks!

Photo: Frida Xiang

On May 16th 2023, the Mannar region Systemic Solutions (MARESSOL) project hosted an international event in Colombo, Sri Lanka, to present findings from the recently published report “Marine litter from Fisheries in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait – Knowledge basis and recommended avenues for change“. The conference was attended by more than 80 distinguished guests, both in room and online, ranging from government officials, NGOs, IGOs, private sector and academia. The conference was opened by a list of distinguished speakers, followed by a presentation of the report findings. Conclusively, a panel discussion was facilitated by Prof. Pradeep Kumara from the University of Ruhuna, followed by an open floor for questions and answers from the audience.

On behalf of the project partners, we thank all participants of the conference, and a special regards of gratitude to all the exceptional contributions from distinguished external speakers and panelists who contributed at the conference:
• Mr. H. M. K. J. B. Gunaratne, Director (Development), Ministry of Fisheries
• Dr. Ananda Mallawatantri, Advisor to the President of Sri Lanka (Environment, Climate Change, and Green Finance)
• Dr. Anil Jasinghe, Secretary, Ministry of Environment
• Ms. Kalyani Hewapathirana, Director, Department of Fisheries
• Mr. S. Ranawaka, Director General, Department of Coast Conservation and Coastal Resources Management
• Dr. Sajith Edirisinghe, Secretary, Sri Lanka Medical Association
• Mr. Sreeram Sirinivasan, Former Chief Project Director, Tamil Nadu Green Climate Company
• Mrs. Cecilie Lind, CEO, the Norwegian Retailers Fund
• Dr. Sandun Perera, program coordinator, IUCN
• Dr. Shamen Vidanage, Country Representative, IUCN Sri Lanka

Forbes Magazine discuss where Norway should invest to increase its circularity. One of the measures highlighted is the “Small Circles Concept” developed by SALTs Vilma Havas, our former colleague Jannike Falk-Anderson, now at NIVA – Norwegian Institute for Water Research, and Paritosh Deshpande from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU). Read the article in Forbes here Read more about the “Small Circles Concept” and download the three researchers publication, here at our webpage.

Photo: Unsplash - Naja Bertold Jensen

Youth-led Transitions is an urban transformation project seeking to make degraded spaces in northern Norway more liveable, vibrant and sustainable. Read more here #Bodø2024

SALT assists the Norwegian Environment Agency to develop climate risk scenarios for municipalities. The scenarios will describe challenges and opportunities that Norwegian municipalities may face in the future as a consequence of climate changes.

Read more about the project here →

Vilma Havas and Brita Staal from SALT, in cooperation with Rachel A. Meidl from Baker Institute Center for Energy Studies, have published in Forbes on sustainability: Unlocking the sustainability potential of circular processes by applying systems thinking.

Read the article here

SALT participates in a joint Norwegian-Azerbaijani cooperation to reduce plastic waste in the Caspian Sea region. The project, named CRIPTIC (Cleaning Riverine Plastic from a Transboundary Inflow to the Caspian), is led by Akvaplan-niva.

The goal is to build capacity in the region to reduce plastic waste to the Caspian Sea through focusing on river clean-ups, mapping, involvement processes and more.

Read more about the project here →

Brita Staal has been interviewed by Lofotposten about our new project in Mannar, located between Sri Lanka and India. Brita is responsible for international cooperations in SALT, and has personally experienced how marine litter affects marine life in this area.

Read the article in Lofotposten (abo) →