TY - JOUR

T1 - Impact of mangrove forest structure and landscape on macroplastics capture

AU - Cappa, Paolo

AU - Walton, Mark

AU - Paler, Maria Kristina O.

AU - Taboada, Evelyn B.

AU - Hiddink, Jan Geert

AU - Skov, Martin

PY - 2023/9

Y1 - 2023/9

N2 - Complex networks of above-ground roots and trunks make mangrove forests trap plastic litter. We tested how macroplastics relate to tree biomass, root abundance, mangrove geomorphology and river proximity, surveying landward and seaward margins of seven forests in the Philippines, a global hotspot for marine plastic pollution. Macroplastics were abundant (mean±s.e.: 1.1±0.22 items m-2; range: 0.05±0.05 to 3.79±1.91), greatest at the landward zone (mean±s.e.: 1.60±0.41 m-2) and dominated by land-derived items (sachets, bags), of which 99% were produced in the Philippines. Plastic abundance increased with proximity to river mouths, with root abundance only weakly influencing plastic weight and area. Tree biomass was unimportant. The study confirms rivers are a major pathway for marine plastic pollution, with mangrove roots, rather than tree density, are the biological attribute that regulate litter retention. The results suggest land-based waste management that prevent plastics entering rivers will reduce marine plastic pollution in Southeast Asia

AB - Complex networks of above-ground roots and trunks make mangrove forests trap plastic litter. We tested how macroplastics relate to tree biomass, root abundance, mangrove geomorphology and river proximity, surveying landward and seaward margins of seven forests in the Philippines, a global hotspot for marine plastic pollution. Macroplastics were abundant (mean±s.e.: 1.1±0.22 items m-2; range: 0.05±0.05 to 3.79±1.91), greatest at the landward zone (mean±s.e.: 1.60±0.41 m-2) and dominated by land-derived items (sachets, bags), of which 99% were produced in the Philippines. Plastic abundance increased with proximity to river mouths, with root abundance only weakly influencing plastic weight and area. Tree biomass was unimportant. The study confirms rivers are a major pathway for marine plastic pollution, with mangrove roots, rather than tree density, are the biological attribute that regulate litter retention. The results suggest land-based waste management that prevent plastics entering rivers will reduce marine plastic pollution in Southeast Asia

KW - Mangrove zones

KW - Plastic litter

KW - Root abundance

KW - Riverine forest

KW - Plastic pollution source

U2 - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115434

DO - 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2023.115434

M3 - Article

VL - 194

JO - Marine Pollution Bulletin

JF - Marine Pollution Bulletin

SN - 0025-326X

IS - Part A

M1 - 115434

ER -