{"id":598,"date":"2025-06-20T14:46:39","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T12:46:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/?p=598"},"modified":"2025-06-30T09:41:31","modified_gmt":"2025-06-30T07:41:31","slug":"arcsolution-launches-citizen-science-campaign-to-track-plastic-wildlife-interactions-in-the-arctic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/2025\/06\/20\/arcsolution-launches-citizen-science-campaign-to-track-plastic-wildlife-interactions-in-the-arctic\/","title":{"rendered":"ArcSolution Launches Citizen Science Campaign to Track Plastic-Wildlife Interactions in the Arctic"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"598\" class=\"elementor elementor-598\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-4c68117 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"4c68117\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1df8dc8 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"1df8dc8\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Plastic pollution is a growing threat to wildlife across the Arctic. From entanglement in lost fishing gear to ingestion of plastic debris, animals across both land and sea are increasingly affected by human waste. To better understand and document these interactions, ArcSolution has launched a new citizen science initiative inviting the public to contribute observations using the iNaturalist platform.<\/p><p>The initiative was introduced during a recent presentation by Dr. Jakob Strand of Aarhus University\u2019s Department of Ecoscience. The goal is to collect structured and verifiable data on how Arctic and Subarctic wildlife are interacting with plastic pollution \u2014 both harmful and non-harmful.<\/p><p>\u201cThere are still major knowledge gaps when it comes to how plastic affects wildlife in the Arctic,\u201d Strand explained. \u201cMost existing data is limited, regionally fragmented, and based on incidental observations. By encouraging the use of a database open to both experts and citizens, we aim to close that gap.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-893c7c7 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"893c7c7\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-a062eb4 elementor-cta--skin-cover elementor-animated-content elementor-bg-transform elementor-bg-transform-zoom-in elementor-widget elementor-widget-call-to-action\" data-id=\"a062eb4\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"call-to-action.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"elementor-cta\" href=\"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/86\/2025\/06\/Intro-Plastics-Wildlife-Interactions-in-the-Arctic-and-SubArctic-2june25.pdf\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-cta__bg-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-cta__bg elementor-bg\" style=\"background-image: url(https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/86\/2025\/06\/marjan-blan-9tqAeLDQT-o-unsplash.jpg);\" role=\"img\" aria-label=\"marjan-blan-9tqAeLDQT-o-unsplash\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-cta__bg-overlay\"><\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-cta__content\">\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-cta__title elementor-cta__content-item elementor-content-item elementor-animated-item--grow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tIntroduction brochure\t\t\t\t\t<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-cta__description elementor-cta__content-item elementor-content-item elementor-animated-item--grow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tInteractions between wild animals and plastic litter in the Arctic and SubArctic \u2013 both harmful and non-harmful incidences\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-cta__button-wrapper elementor-cta__content-item elementor-content-item elementor-animated-item--grow\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"elementor-cta__button elementor-button elementor-size-\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\tDownload\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0086410 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"0086410\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5639cd1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-spacer\" data-id=\"5639cd1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"spacer.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer\">\n\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-spacer-inner\"><\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-26089f1 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"26089f1\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">What to Observe<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-d6d80d1 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"d6d80d1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9b54dc7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"9b54dc7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>Participants are encouraged to upload observations of:<\/p><ul><li>Animals entangled in e.g. fishing lines, nets, or plastic packaging<\/li><li>Evidence of ingested plastic, found in stomach contents, droppings, or regurgitates<\/li><li>Birds using plastic as nesting material<\/li><li>Biofouling on plastic debris in marine environments<\/li><li>Other direct interactions with plastic litter (excluding animals caught in active gear or fencing)<\/li><\/ul><p>The focus is on all types of wildlife\u2014including birds, mammals, fish and invertebrates \u2014 across the Pan-Arctic and Subarctic, including Greenland, Canada, Alaska, and Northern Europe.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1206bee e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"1206bee\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-08cc99c elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"08cc99c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Where to Upload<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-1e9c2c4 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"1e9c2c4\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-0b58864 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"0b58864\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>The project is hosted on the iNaturalist platform under the title:<br \/>\ud83d\udd17 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inaturalist.org\/projects\/plastics-wildlife-in-the-arctic-subarctic-and-northern-europe\">Plastics &amp; Wildlife in the Arctic, SubArctic and Northern Europe<\/a><\/p><p>Whether you&#8217;re a local resident, hunter, fisher, scientist, or nature enthusiast, your contributions are welcome. Observations can easily be added directly through the iNaturalist mobile app or on the web platform. Photos are encouraged, but not mandatory, and entries can be submitted retroactively if you observed something while offline.<\/p><p>\u201cWe welcome everyone to take part \u2014 your observation could help researchers understand how plastic pollution affects Arctic ecosystems and inform future environmental protection efforts,\u201d says Strand.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-07f79c1 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"07f79c1\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9e62c6b elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"9e62c6b\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Why It Matters<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-8f35904 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"8f35904\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6dae8da elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"6dae8da\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>This activity directly supports two key deliverables within the ArcSolution project, which aims to develop sustainable responses to pollution, climate change, and environmental health risks in the Arctic. It also aligns with recommendations from the Arctic Monitoring and Assessment Programme (AMAP), which has recently identified significant gaps in knowledge regarding the impacts of plastic on Arctic wildlife.<\/p><p>The success of this campaign will rely on broad participation and widespread sharing of the initiative. By transforming local knowledge and everyday encounters into scientific data, the project demonstrates how Arctic communities and stakeholders can participate in developing meaningful, action-oriented research.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-5b3af56 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"5b3af56\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-9c48688 elementor-widget elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"9c48688\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"heading.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h2 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">How to Get Involved<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-c4da199 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"c4da199\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-e-type=\"container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-99fbdd7 elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"99fbdd7\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-e-type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<ul><li>Visit: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.inaturalist.org\/projects\/plastics-wildlife-in-the-arctic-subarctic-and-northern-europe\">www.inaturalist.org\/projects\/plastics-wildlife-in-the-arctic-subarctic-and-northern-europe<\/a><\/li><li>Download the iNaturalist app from App Store or Google Play<\/li><li>Log your observation, add a description, and optionally include photos<\/li><li>Be sure to select the ArcSolution-affiliated project when submitting<\/li><\/ul>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Plastic pollution is a growing threat to wildlife across the Arctic. From entanglement in lost fishing gear to ingestion of plastic debris, animals across both land and sea are increasingly [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":112,"featured_media":600,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"coauthors":[12],"class_list":["post-598","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/112"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=598"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":609,"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/598\/revisions\/609"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/600"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=598"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=598"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=598"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/site.nord.no\/arcsolution\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=598"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}