“Our seas and oceans are highly polluted and plastic is one of the highest risk factors for wildlife,” says Asunción Ruiz, executive director of SEO/BirdLife. Her statement is supported by the new study by BirdLife International, in which she participates as a co-author. In it, the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea have been identified as the highest risk points for exposure to marine plastic for birds.
The data was obtained by monitoring one of the most threatened groups of seabirds: petrels and shearwaters. These animals are recognized as excellent indicators of the quality of the marine environment, due to their presence in all the seas of the planet.
The final analysis includes 7,137 specimens of 77 different species, thanks to which it was possible to identify the oceanic and coastal areas with the greatest distribution of birds. This was necessary because its distribution is not homogeneous; responds to winds and food availability.
The study also identified patterns of plastic distribution, which is governed by ocean currents. When all the information was available, the data was crossed and based on the level of coincidence of both elements -plastic and birds-, the level of risk presented by each area was established.
Both the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea represent the largest "black spot" on the planet, and consequently, the species associated with their waters are the most endangered, with the Mediterranean (Puffinus yelkouan) and Balearic (Puffinus mauretanicus) shearwaters as most exposed species.
"The results show the relevance of the problem of plastics for species of our direct competition, especially the endemic Balearic shearwater", introduces Pep Arcos, coordinator of the SEO/BirdLife Marine Program and also co-author of the article.
This association focused, within the framework of the study, on the analysis of the Atlantic and Mediterranean Cory's Shearwaters, and the Balearic Shearwater. Other Spanish entities that participated were CEAB-CSIC, EBD-CSIC, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), IRBI and the University of Barcelona.
The study has further established that both shearwaters and storm petrels regularly ingest plastic. This happens on some occasions because they confuse them with their prey and on others, because their prey has previously ingested them.
In the case of large plastics, this can cause birds to suffocate, starve or obstruct the digestive system; although the most widespread plastic is the smallest. It is called microplastic, its size is less than five millimeters and the most recent research suggests that its effect is also harmful to the organism.
Ruiz closes with the fact that although science provides knowledge and it is essential to continue betting on it, what is needed now is to establish this idea in decision-making to "put an end to models that put our authentic heritage, nature, at risk ".
