Marine debris on Aldabra atoll |23 January 2018

Marine debris is a global environmental problem affecting us all. Even the most remote and pristine areas on the planet such as Aldabra Atoll are not immune to this global issue. SIF is taking steps to raise awareness on the impact of marine debris on Aldabra and is in the process of developing a project to address the problem.

Marine debris consists of a variety of items, such as discarded water bottles, plastic items, polystyrene, wood or abandoned fishing nets, Atoll are not immune to this global issue. SIF is taking steps to raise awareness on the impact of marine debris on Aldabra and is in the process of developing a project to address the problem.

Marine debris consists of a variety of items, such as discarded water bottles, plastic items, polystyrene, wood or abandoned fishing nets, lines and traps, that end up in ocean or seas.

Once in the ocean, this man-made debris is carried via currents and atmospheric winds.

Debris can be carried far from its origin, which makes it difficult to determine exactly where an item came from and makes preventing it from reaching the sea challenging. These items may sit on the seafloor, get caught on rocky or coral reefs, or float on the ocean surface and end up on beaches.

While debris can be worn away and broken down into smaller fragments, they generally do not biodegrade entirely. The majority of marine litter does not decompose in seawater and can remain in the marine environment for many years affecting marine life and habitats.

Washed up on beaches, marine debris also harms terrestrial wildlife through ingestion and entanglement.

Marine debris is found on most of the beaches of Aldabra but predominantly on the southern and eastern coast. Washed up buoys, flip flops, plastic bottles, glass and other miscellaneous items can be found in champignon holes, on the beach and in the coastal vegetation. The majority of these items have been brought from afar by the South Equatorial Current and it affects all wildlife including nesting turtles, giant tortoises, crabs and seabirds. The staff on the atoll engage in regular beach cleaning and are able to keep the areas near the settlement clean, but with a small team it is not feasible to clean up the entire 80km coastline, which is difficult to access in many areas and contains many years of accumulated rubbish.

To tackle the problem SIF is in the process of developing a project to clean all of the atoll’s beaches, and to ensure that their maintenance in a rubbish free state is possible. Watch this space for more news on this exciting project!

In the meantime, you can join us in making a change! Each of us can do our part by reducing the amount of plastic we use, avoiding single use plastic bags and products with excessive packaging, undertaking local beach clean-ups or raising awareness on the issue within our community. With so much trash and litter entering our ocean every year, the task of preventing and reducing marine debris is an urgent challenge that we must all meet to preserve the health of our planet.

Captions

Debris collect in rocks along the coastline © SIF

Flip flops are another common marine debris item © SIF

Buoys are common marine debris © SIF