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Plastic Pollution at a Sea Turtle Conservation Area in NE Brazil: Contrasting Developed and Undeveloped Beaches

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Abstract

Sea turtles are highly susceptible to plastic ingestion and entanglement. Beach debris were surveyed along the most important sea turtle nesting beaches in Brazil (Costa dos Coqueiros, Bahia State). No significant differences among developed and undeveloped beaches were observed in terms of total number of items. Local sources (tourism activities) represented 70% of debris on developed beaches, where cigarette butts, straws, paper fragments, soft plastic fragments, and food packaging were the most abundant items. Non-local sources (domestic and fishing activities) accounted for about 70% of debris on undeveloped beaches, where the most abundant items were rigid plastic fragments, ropes, soft plastic fragments, caps, and polystyrene. The projected surface area of beach debris did not vary among developed and undeveloped beaches. Overseas containers accounted for about 25% of regional plastic pollution, implying that international pollution prevention agreements are not being respected off the Brazilian coast.

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Acknowledgments

Field expeditions at Costa dos Coqueiros were sponsored by Mr. Fabiano Barretto from the NGO “Local Beach, Global Garbage” (www.globalgarbage.org). G. Fillmann was sponsored by the National Research Council (CNPq PQ 311459/2006-4).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Laboratório de Microcontaminantes Orgânicos e Ecotoxicologia Aquática, Instituto de Oceanografia, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande—FURG, C.P. 474, CEP 96201-900, Rio Grande, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

    Juliana Assunção Ivar do Sul & Gilberto Fillmann

  2. Centre for Coastal Biogeochemistry, School of Environmental Science and Management, Southern Cross University, Lismore, NSW, 2480, Australia

    Isaac R. Santos & Ana Cláudia Friedrich

  3. Embrapa Roraima, Rodovia BR 174, Km 8, Distrito Industrial, CEP 69301-970, Boa Vista, Roraima, Brazil

    Alexandre Matthiensen

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  1. Juliana Assunção Ivar do Sul
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  2. Isaac R. Santos
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  3. Ana Cláudia Friedrich
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  4. Alexandre Matthiensen
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  5. Gilberto Fillmann
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Correspondence to Juliana Assunção Ivar do Sul.

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Ivar do Sul, J.A., Santos, I.R., Friedrich, A.C. et al. Plastic Pollution at a Sea Turtle Conservation Area in NE Brazil: Contrasting Developed and Undeveloped Beaches. Estuaries and Coasts 34, 814–823 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-011-9392-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12237-011-9392-8

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