Seminar

Marine plastic pollution has been recognised as one of the top environmental issues to tackle in the recent decades. Plastic debris affect all coastal habitats and there is no exception for the Hong Kong waters, in particular west coasts, where under the influence of the Pearl River, the third contributor of plastic waste in the oceans. Although plastic fragments can be easily observed stranded on many Hong Kong shores, data on abundance and composition of microplastic in these marine environments are limited and predominantly from sandy beaches. Mangrove forests, the recently identified microplastic hotspot because of their proximity to river streams and urban centres, are scarcely understudied. Despite the negative impacts on survival of mangrove fauna caused by microplastic ingestion, there is increasing evidence that micro- and macrofauna can be the major actors in alternating the fate of plastic released to the environment. However, the role of fauna in plastic biofragmentation and biodegradation is still largely underexplored.   

Additional information: Miss SO Mandy Wing Kwan, somandy@connect.hku.hk