Mediterranean, among the risk areas due to plastics for threatened seabirds

He Mediterranean and the Black Sea are the areas of the planet where the sea ​​birds are more exposed to plastic wastewith the Mediterranean and Balearic shearwaters heading the list of species potentially threatened by the ingestion of this material.

Among the most dangerous areas for birds are also the Northwest and Northeast Pacific, the South Atlantic and the Southwest Indian Ocean, according to a study involving more than 200 researchers and published today in Nature Communications.

Seabirds are one of the most threatened groups globally, with around a third of species classified as “vulnerable”, “endangered” either “critically endangered” on the red list of the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

The study delves into the growing threat to marine life from ocean pollution by plastics, for which data from 77 species of seabirds, more than 7,000 individuals, and 1.7 million positions recorded using remote monitoring devices were analyzed. .

The study focused on petrels and shearwaters, one of the most endangered groups of birds on the planet and which are distributed throughout all seas, making them excellent indicators of the state of conservation of the marine environment.

This is the first time that monitoring data from so many seabird species is combined and overlaid on global maps of ocean plastic distribution, to see where there is the greatest overlap and therefore the greatest risk of interaction.

The researchers, led by Bethany Clak of BirdLife International, thus identified the areas where birds are most exposed to plastic waste, and which species and populations are most affected.

The data indicates that the Mediterranean and the Black Sea “they stand out as areas of greatest risk identified by the study”highlights Seo BirdLife in a statement.

This implies that the species of this basin are the most exposed to the problem of plastics, with the Mediterranean (Puffinus yelkouan) and Balearic (P. mauretanicus) shearwaters in the lead, both globally threatened (Vulnerable and Critically Threatened, respectively). ).

The results show the relevance of the problem of plastics “for species of our direct competition, especially the endemic Balearic shearwater”says Pep Arcos, coordinator of the SEO/BirdLife Marine Program and one of the co-authors of the article.

“So far we know that there is a high incidence of plastics in the three species of shearwaters typical of the Mediterranean, but in view of the results of this article -he adds- we must intensify our efforts to understand its real impact.”

The results show that plastic pollution threatens marine life on a scale that transcends national borders, since a quarter of all risk of exposure to plastics occurs on the high seas, highlights the University of Cambridge (United Kingdom), one of the study participants.

Most species are at higher risk of encountering plastic in waters far from their breeding jurisdiction and in international waters.

“This means that international cooperation is essential to solve this problem, imposing dialogue between various actors and increasing the complexity of the responses”highlights the coordinator of the study, Maria Dias, from the University of Lisbon.

Ocean currents cause large eddies of plastic garbage to accumulate far from land, out of sight and beyond the jurisdiction of any country, recalls the University of Cambridge.

Seabirds often mistake small pieces of plastic for food, or ingest one that has already been eaten by their prey. This material may also contain toxic chemicals harmful to seabirds.

Petrels are especially vulnerable because they cannot easily regurgitate plastic and in breeding season, they often inadvertently feed their chicks plastic,

The study also shows that species that are already threatened with extinction (due to the introduction of invasive alien species on the islands where they breed, bycatch or climate change), are also the most exposed to plastic.

So that, “If the plastic problem continues to worsen, the already fragile state of these species could worsen even more”Dias adds.

The results can now be interpreted and used as a tool for the management and conservation of the marine environment by countries around the world.

Spanish entities also participated in the study, including the University of Barcelona; the Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB-CSIC); the Biodiversity Research Initiative of the Balearic Islands (IRBI) and the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies, Imedea.

Source: EFE