The children of Ayangue counted 6,821 cigarette butts so the ocean wouldn't have to

In the fishing village of Ayangue, Ecuador, the scientists are children. In a peer-reviewed study published in Ocean & Coastal Management, researchers describe how local children led a citizen-science programme monitoring cigarette butts — one of the most common and toxic forms of beach litter — and helped stop 6,821 of them from reaching the ocean over two years. The children's data didn't just sit in a notebook: it fed into real decisions about managing the beach in their tourist community. The study concludes the model could work in small coastal towns anywhere: give children the tools and the standing, and they will protect their own shore.

SDG 14 · Life below water — Mechanism: community action