Overview:

Fundacion OneSea, a Costa Rican environmental organization, is tackling plastic pollution in the oceans. Since 2014, they have worked to prevent ocean pollution and the overexploitation of its resources by developing and promoting environmental policies. Their project focuses on formulating and promoting laws to protect the oceans, with the support of coastal communities.   

The Challenge:

Plastic pollution is one of the biggest problems affecting the oceans. In Costa Rica, a significant amount of plastic waste ends up in the ocean, threatening marine ecosystems and human health.   

The Solution:

OneSea proposed and promoted laws to protect the oceans, with the support of the communities, especially the coastal communities. The project focused on four types of plastic pollution: microplastics, packaging, cigarette butts, and fishing gear. Technical and comparative law studies were proposed to support the creation of four proposed bills.   

Why this matters:

This project is crucial for generating better regulations focused on reducing pollution. It directly supports SDG 14 (Life Below Water), particularly target 14.1 on reducing marine pollution. OneSea's approach leverages Costa Rica's leadership in environmental solutions and takes a whole-of-society approach, demonstrating the power of stakeholder engagement and bottom-up activism to influence policy. The project also launched the Declaration of Peace with the Ocean campaign, which has garnered interest from various actors, including the UNDP Country Office in Costa Rica and the Costa Rican government.

Results & impact:

The project successfully advocated for the approval of two bills in the Legislative Assembly, from four bills proposed during the OIC Incubation. It raised awareness among 739,000 people about the importance of reducing plastic pollution. The project's efforts have also resulted in the declaration of over 40 beaches as smoke-free zones.   

Replicate & scale up:

The open consultation methodology used in this project can be applied to other countries and regions to enhance the creation of environmental policies. OneSea is actively working to expand the project's reach and impact through collaborations and further research and development. The Costa Rican Government, one of the co-hosts for the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, is using the Declaration as a framework for discussions at the Ocean Conference to further strengthens regional and global commitments to marine conservation and sustainable livelihoods in coastal communities.

Lessons learned:

The project has emphasized the importance of strong partnerships with public and private stakeholders and effective communication with the community. It has also highlighted the need for a systemic approach to understanding and addressing plastic pollution.