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Published VersionCC BY V4.0, Open Access
Journal article
Galápagos and the plastic problem
Frontiers in Sustainability , Vol.4, pp.1-19
2023
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Global plastic pollution crisis: The Galápagos Islands under threat
UniSC News (Clare McKay)Abstract
Plastic pollution (PP) is an ongoing, pervasive global problem that represents a risk to the Galápagos archipelago, despite it being one of the world's most pristine and well-protected regions. By working closely with citizen scientists, we aimed to quantify and map the magnitude and biological effects of PP. With macroplastic abundance ranging from 0.003 to 2.87 items/m2, our research indicates that all five sampled Galápagos bioregions are contaminated with PP along their coastlines. The distribution of this debris is not uniform, with macroplastics significantly higher on the windward shores. Based on the identification information found on the examined items, Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) was the most predominant type of plastic originating from both consumer and fisheries-based products deriving primarily from Perú, China, and Ecuador. The top three manufacturers were AjeCroup, Coca-Cola, and Tingy Holding Corporation. Through citizen science, we documented PP exposure in 52 species (20 endemic) in Galápagos terrestrial and marine environments, with exposure occurring in two ways: entanglement and ingestion. These included reptiles (8 species), birds (13 species), mammals (4 species), cartilaginous fish (7 species), bony fish (14 species), and invertebrates (6 species). The top five species with the greatest risk of serious harm due to entanglement (in decreasing order) were identified as green sea turtles, marine iguanas, whale sharks, spine-tail mobulas, and medium-ground finches. In contrast, Santa Cruz tortoises, green sea turtles, marine iguanas, black-striped salemas, and Galápagos sea lions were at the highest risk of harm due to the ingestion of plastics. Our research indicates that PP is a growing problem in the Galápagos archipelago and that additional work is necessary to mitigate its impact now and in the future.
Details
- Title
- Galápagos and the plastic problem
- Authors
- Juan Pablo Muñoz-Pérez (Corresponding Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringGregory A. Lewbart (Author) - Universidad San Francisco de QuitoDaniela Alarcón-Ruales (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringAlice Skehel (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and EngineeringEsteban Cobos (Author) - University of North Carolina at Chapel HillRoberth Rivera (Author) - Universidad San Francisco de QuitoAlexis Jaramillo (Author) - Universidad San Francisco de QuitoHenry Vivanco (Author) - Universidad San Francisco de QuitoLeo Zurita-Arthos (Author) - Universidad San Francisco de QuitoBryan Wallace (Author) - Ecolibrium Inc. (United States, Boulder) - ELICarlos A. Valle (Author) - Universidad San Francisco de QuitoKathy A. Townsend (Author) - University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Publication details
- Frontiers in Sustainability , Vol.4, pp.1-19
- Publisher
- Frontiers Research Foundation
- Date published
- 2023
- DOI
- 10.3389/frsus.2023.1091516
- ISSN
- 2673-4524
- Copyright note
- © 2023 Muñoz-Pérez, Lewbart, Alarcón-Ruales, Skehel, Cobos, Rivera, Jaramillo, Vivanco, Zurita-Arthos, Wallace, Valle and Townsend. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
- Organisation Unit
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering
- Language
- English
- Record Identifier
- 99708585302621
- Output Type
- Journal article
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