Seminar by Dr Scott Wilson
Macquarie University, Department of Environmental Sciences, Macquarie, NSW, Australia
Date: Monday, 11th February 2019
Venue: SJINML Seminar Room
Anthropogenic marine litter pollution is a serious issue facing oceans worldwide. Limited data exists on this pollution issue for South Pacific Island nations. This study presents the first extensive baseline survey of macro-sized marine litter on Mo’orea (0.75 items m-2) and Tahiti (0.95 items m-2), French Polynesia. Locally sourced land-based catchments accounted for the greatest amount of recovered marine litter on both islands. Beverage containers and associated items, such as caps were commonly recovered. Further studies conducted on Mo’orea, demonstrated that micro-litter was prevalent (3.84 items m-2) in beach sands and that 22% of surveyed holothurians had ingested microplastics. Limited abatement measures to reduce marine litter loads have been implemented locally. Based on the collected data the efficacy of existing waste management and abatement strategies will be discussed and recommendations for improvements suggested.
About the speaker:
Dr Scott Wilson is a Senior Lecturer in the Centre for Energy and Environmental Contaminants and the Department of Environmental Sciences at Macquarie University. He has over 20 years’ experience as an ecotoxicologist, researching the impacts of a range of contaminants in both marine and freshwater aquatic systems and the implications to water quality. His current focus is on understanding the extent of effects that litter, particularly plastics, have on our environment and examines ways in which this can be reduced. This, in part, has involved education, awareness and training of stakeholders and the broader public through partnerships with government, industry, education providers, NGOs and community groups. By working together on this issue, Dr Wilson feels we can all make a difference!