Public Participation in EU Legislation? Recommendations for Involving Citizen Scientists in Anthropogenic Litter Research Within the Water Framework Directive

Anthropogenic litter causes significant harm to the environment on a global scale. Achieving international agreements and establishing corresponding national legislation is essential for solving this prevalent environmental problem. Effective monitoring programmes are also critical for evaluating the environmental status in aquatic (marine and freshwater) environments, as required by the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) in Europe. In contrast to the MSFD, the current version of the WFD does not yet include anthropogenic litter pollution as an indicator to evaluate the status of aquatic environments. In order to overcome these shortcomings, we recommend using existing litter data generated by citizen science initiatives as a baseline to establish relevant indicators in the WFD. Further, citizen scientists could contribute to the WFD by taking complimentary samples, for example, at underrepresented smaller streams, adding context and value to data collected at established monitoring stations. The involvement of citizens as actors within an EU Directive would not only help to obtain valuable data on a significant spatial and temporal scale but could potentially also increase the environmental awareness and political engagement of the public. The upcoming revision cycle of the WFD in 2028 presents a unique opportunity to give citizens a voice and opportunity to partake in EU legislative frameworks.