Location: Seychelles
SUMMARY
Plastic production has risen from 1.7 million tons in 1954 to 335 million tons in 2016. Much of this plastic has been carried by currents and wind throughout the world’s oceans. The end-point for much plastic is remote islands, such as the iconic Aldabra Atoll World Heritage Site. Vast amounts of plastic has been accumulating along the Aldabra’s shores. This impacts the island’s endemic and endangered fauna and demands urgent action. The Seychelles Islands Foundation (SIF), who manage Aldabra, in collaboration with the Queen’s College, Oxford University created the Aldabra Clean Up Project (ACUP). ACUP includes an expedition to clear plastic pollution from Aldabra. However, ACUP’s costs of exceeded SIF’s usual means of finance. Thus, outside the box thinking was needed to finance ACUP. This involved seeking funds through corporate sponsorship & crowdfunding, in Seychelles & the UK.
