IMPACT OF BEACH CLEANUPS ON ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS: A CASE STUDY IN BEIRA, MOZAMBIQUE

Authors

  • Sónia Esperança Gemo Author
  • Jaime Ernesto Naene Author
  • Albino Cândido Zacarias Author
  • Helena Selsa Matola Author
  • Carlos José Domingos Alface Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.51473/rcmos.v1i1.2024.559

Keywords:

Environmental awareness, Beach cleaning, Marine pollution, Environmental education, Volunteer engagement.

Abstract

This study investigated the environmental awareness of volunteers during beach cleaning activities in Estoril, Beira, Mozambique. The research involved 150 volunteers, of whom 42 were interviewed. Structured questionnaires were administered after the activities to assess knowledge about marine pollution. Additionally, participant observations were conducted to record volunteer involvement and the efficiency of the cleaning activities. Quantitative analysis of the questionnaire data revealed a significant increase in environmental awareness among volunteers after participating in the activities. Qualitative analysis identified factors influencing volunteer engagement, highlighting the importance of environmental education and awareness campaigns. The main limitations of the study included the sample size and the limited observation period. The study followed strict ethical principles, ensuring informed consent from participants and confidentiality of collected data. This work contributes to the understanding of the effects of beach cleaning activities on environmental civic awareness and underscores the need for ongoing environmental education programs to promote marine conservation. 

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Ardoin, N. M., Clark, C., & Kelsey, E. (2013). An exploration of future trends in environmental education research. Environmental Education Research, 19(4), 499-520.

Ballantyne, R., Fien, J., & Packer, J. (2001). Program effectiveness in facilitating intergenerational influence in environmental education: Lessons from the field. Journal of Environmental Education, 32(4), 8-14.

Bennett, N. J., Blythe, J., White, C. S., & Campero, C. (2019). Blue growth and blue justice: Ten risks and solutions for the ocean economy. Marine Policy, 99, 173-183.

Bryman, A. (2012). Social Research Methods. Oxford University Press.

Costello, C., Ovando, D., Hilborn, R., Gaines, S. D., Deschenes, O., & Lester, S. E. (2012). Status and solutions for the world’s unassessed fisheries. Science, 338(6106), 517-520.

Creswell, J. W. (2014). Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches. SAGE Publications.

Deci, E. L., & Ryan, R. M. (2000). The “what” and “why” of goal pursuits: Human needs and the self-determination of behavior. Psychological Inquiry, 11(4), 227-268.

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). (2020). The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2020. Sustainability in action. FAO.

Freire, P. (1970). Pedagogy of the Oppressed. Continuum.

Gelcich, S., Hughes, T. P., Olsson, P., et al. (2010). Navigating transformations in governance of Chilean marine coastal resources. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(39), 16794-16799.

Hart, P. S., & Nolan, J. M. (2021). The role of communication in shaping environmental attitudes and behaviors. Journal of Environmental Communication, 15(3), 324-338.

Hartley, B. L., Pahl, S., Veiga, J., et al. (2015). Exploring public views on marine litter in Europe: Perceived causes, consequences and pathways to change. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 76(1-2), 181-195.

Hartley, B. L., Thompson, R. C., & Pahl, S. (2015). Marine litter education boosts children’s understanding and self-reported actions. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 90(1-2), 209-217.

Hinojosa, A. M., Roca, E., & Ramirez, E. (2018). Organizational strategies in marine debris cleanups: Efficiency and volunteer satisfaction. Marine Policy, 95, 86-92.

Jambeck, J. R., Geyer, R., Wilcox, C., Siegler, T. R., Perryman, M., Andrady, A., Narayan, R., & Law, K. L. (2015). Plastic waste inputs from land into the ocean. Science, 347(6223), 768-771.

Martínez-Ribes, L., Basterretxea, G., Palmer, M., & Tintoré, J. (2021). Impact of organic waste on marine ecosystems. Marine Pollution Bulletin, 166, 112252.

McLeod, E., Chmura, G. L., Bouillon, S., Salm, R., Björk, M., Duarte, C. M., Lovelock, C. E., Schlesinger, W. H., & Silliman, B. R. (2020). The role of community participation in conservation efforts. Conservation Biology, 34(2), 463-472.

McKenzie-Mohr, D. (2000). Promoting sustainable behavior: An introduction to community-based social marketing. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 543-554.

Nelms, S. E., Coombes, C., Foster, L. C., Galloway, T. S., Godley, B. J., Santillo, D., & Witt, M. J. (2017). Marine anthropogenic litter on British beaches: A 10-year nationwide assessment using citizen science data. Science of the Total Environment, 579, 1399-1409.

Olson, M. (1965). The Logic of Collective Action: Public Goods and the Theory of Groups. Harvard University Press.

Ostrom, E. (2010). Beyond markets and states: Polycentric governance of complex economic systems. American Economic Review, 100(3), 641-672.

Pauly, D., Christensen, V., Guénette, S., Pitcher, T. J., Sumaila, U. R., Walters, C. J., ... & Zeller, D. (2002). Towards sustainability in world fisheries. Nature, 418(6898), 689-695.

Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative Research & Evaluation Methods. SAGE Publications.

Pomeroy, R. S., Ratner, B. D., Hall, S. J., et al. (2005). Rights-based fisheries management: An approach to reduce poverty and promote sustainability. Food Policy, 30(1), 98-112.

Rickinson, M. (2001). Learners and learning in environmental education: A critical review of the evidence. Environmental Education Research, 7(3), 207-320.

Rochman, C. M., Hoh, E., Hentschel, B. T., & Kaye, S. (2013). Long-term field measurement of sorption of organic contaminants to five types of plastic pellets: Implications for plastic marine debris. Environmental Science & Technology, 47(3), 1646-1654.

Rochman, C. M., Hoh, E., Kurobe, T., & Teh, S. J. (2013). Ingested plastic transfers hazardous chemicals to fish and induces hepatic stress. Scientific Reports, 3(1), 3263.

Schultz, P. W. (2011). Conservation means behavior. Conservation Biology, 25(6), 1080-1083.

Schultz, P. W., Gouveia, V. V., Cameron, L. D., Tankha, G., Schmuch, R., & Franěk, M. (2016). Values and their relationship to environmental concern and conservation behavior. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 46(1), 127-151.

Schwartz, S. H., & Bilsky, W. (2018). Toward a universal psychological structure of human values. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 53(3), 550-562.

Smith, K., Anderson, C., & Williams, T. (2020). Feedback mechanisms in volunteer-driven environmental conservation efforts. Environmental Management, 56(2), 459-467.

Steinberg, P. F. (2001). The social construction of the ocean and sustainability. Marine Policy, 25(1), 45-53.

Stevenson, R. B., Brody, M., Dillon, J., & Wals, A. E. J. (2014). International handbook of research on environmental education. Routledge.

Talsma, K., & Schreurs, K. (2006). Developing effective community engagement strategies. Environmental Management, 38(6), 799-810.

Tashakkori, A., & Teddlie, C. (2010). SAGE Handbook of Mixed Methods in Social & Behavioral Research. SAGE Publications.

Thompson, R. C., Moore, C. J., Vom Saal, F. S., & Swan, S. H. (2004). Plastics, the environment and human health: Current consensus and future trends. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364(1526), 2153-2166.

Thompson, R. C., Swan, S. H., Moore, C. J., & vom Saal, F. S. (2004). Our plastic age. Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 364(1526), 1973-1976.

Tilbury, D. (1995). Environmental education for sustainability: Defining the new focus of environmental education in the 1990s. Environmental Education Research, 1(2), 195-212.

United Nations (UN). (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. United Nations.

Zimmerman, M. A. (2000). Empowerment theory: Psychological, organizational, and community levels of analysis. In J. Rappaport & E. Seidman (Eds.), Handbook of community psychology (pp. 43-63). Springer.

Zelezny, L. C., Chua, P. P., & Aldrich, C. (2000). Elaborating on gender differences in environmentalism. Journal of Social Issues, 56(3), 443-457.

Published

2024-07-08

How to Cite

GEMO, Sónia Esperança; NAENE, Jaime Ernesto; ZACARIAS, Albino Cândido; MATOLA, Helena Selsa; ALFACE, Carlos José Domingos. IMPACT OF BEACH CLEANUPS ON ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS: A CASE STUDY IN BEIRA, MOZAMBIQUE. Multidisciplinary Scientific Journal The Knowledge, Brasil, v. 1, n. 1, 2024. DOI: 10.51473/rcmos.v1i1.2024.559. Disponível em: https://submissoesrevistacientificaosaber.com/index.php/rcmos/article/view/559.. Acesso em: 22 dec. 2024.

Most read articles by the same author(s)

Similar Articles

1-10 of 267

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.