Plastic pollution makes Mediterranean the most dangerous region for birds
The Hindu
The Mediterranean has been recognised as the most “dangerous” region to bird species that live and feed there due to excessive plastic pollution, according to new research
The Mediterranean has been recognised as the most "dangerous" region to bird species that live and feed there, according to a new research measuring plastic pollution in oceans that increasingly threaten marine life.
Along with the Mediterranean, the most dangerous areas for birds are the Black Sea, the Northwest and Northeast Pacific, the South Atlantic and the Southwest Indian Ocean, researchers found.
They analysed 77 seabird species, more than 7000 individuals and 1.7 million positions recorded through remote tracking devices, together with maps of plastic concentration at a global level. Seabirds are one of the most endangered groups globally.
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They were thus able to identify where and which bird species are most exposed to and most affected by plastic waste. They have published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.
"The data allows us to conclude that the risk is not uniformly distributed, as a result of the accumulation of plastic in areas where ocean current and tides favour it," said Maria Dias, study coordinator and researcher at the Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon (Ciencias ULisboa), Portugal.
Because most of the seabirds are migratory species, they are also distributed in an uneven and highly variable way throughout their annual cycle. Thus, when "both regions overlap [high concentration of birds and plastic], the risk is much greater," said Dias.
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