11. Presence of plastic waste in estuary and mangrove ecosystems in Nha Trang marine protected area, Khanh Hoa province
Abstract
The study investigates the presence of plastic waste (PW) at two different locations, namely mangrove forest (MF) and estuary in the Nha Trang marine protected area at two different times of the day. The results indicate that the amount of PW collected in the morning at MF is 2.1 kg with an average of 7.0 g/m2, with PET being the most common type at an average of 0.9 kg and 3.0 g/m2, followed by PS at 0.7 kg and 2.33 g/m2, while HDPE, LDPE and PP have weights of 0.83 g/m2, 0.5 g/m2 and 0.33 g/m2, respectively. In the afternoon, the total weight of PW collected is 1.65 kg, with an average of 5.5 g/m2 and PET and PS being the most common types with an average of 0.6 kg and 2.0 g/m2, followed by PP with an average of 0.2 kg and 0.67 g/m2 and HDPE and LDPE with the lowest density of 0.5 g/m2and 0.3 g/m2. At the estuary, in the morning, the weight of PW collected is 1.0 kg with an average of 3.33 g/m2. PS is the most common type with an average of 0.7 kg and 2.33 g/m2, followed by PET with an average of 0.3 kg and 1.0 g/m2. In the afternoon, in addition to PET and PS, PP is also collected with a weight of 0.4 kg and an average of 1.33 g/m2. PS is still the most common type with an average of 0.6 kg and 2 g/m2, followed by PET with an average of 0.5 kg and 1.67 g/m2. The study shows a significant difference in PW weight between locations and times of the day. In terms of size, in the mangrove forest setting, PET, PS, PP, LDPE, HDPE are the plastic waste materials collected, with a total of 101 samples ranging in length from 1 - 30 cm and width from 3 - 36 cm. In the estuary area, 57 objects are collected with lengths ranging from 4 - 21 cm and widths ranging from 4 - 31 cm. The plastic waste found in this study is mainly water bottles, plastic bags, disposable cups, fast food containers and styrofoam debris carried away by the tide or generated from tourism activities in nearby resorts. The accumulation of plastic waste in the mangrove forest environment is caused by various factors, including tides and the lack of proper waste management measures.
