Seminar

Due to the mismanagement of waste disposal, plastic waste has entered the ocean and dispersed ubiquitously in our marine environment, in particular the coastal habitats.  Mangroves are important coastal habitats that provide a broad spectrum of ecosystem services which help maintain the world’s functioning and human well-being. However, data on the abundance and distribution of microplastics in marine environments are predominantly from sandy beaches. With their proximity to rivers and urban centres, as well as the complex aerial root systems, mangroves are vulnerable to plastic pollution. Hong Kong mangroves are no exception with landward areas harbouring a higher abundance of microplastics, indicating the microplastics deposited in the habitat may potentially source from the land. Despite the negative impacts on the survival of mangrove fauna, there is rising evidence that micro- and macrofauna can alter the fate of plastics released into the environment. Mangrove crabs exposed to expanded polystyrene under laboratory conditions demonstrated their contribution to plastic fragmentation.

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