The Mediterranean Sea contains a higher density of microplastics than any large marine environment ever measured, said a report recently released by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), according to The Xinhua News Agency reports.
Some 229,000 tons of plastic are released into the Mediterranean every year, said the report published.
The main source of plastic input into the sea are coastal activities and inefficient waste management, which further worsens in the summer due to the increase in tourist flows and related recreational activities, it said.
A fisherman is pictured along with an Israeli maritime barrier at the Mediterranean Sea near the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon. Photo by Gil Cohen Magen/Xinhua.
The WWF report pointed out that in the Mediterranean Sea there is the highest concentration of microplastics ever measured in the depths of a marine environment: 1.9 mln fragments per square meter.
Entitled "Plastic pollution in the oceans. Impacts on marine species, biodiversity and ecosystems," the report analyzes over 2,590 studies on plastic pollution in the oceans and provides a comprehensive analysis of its impacts on marine species and ecosystems.
The report was released ahead of the resumed fifth session of the United Nations Environment Assembly, which will be held online and in Nairobi, Kenya, from Feb. 28 to March 2.
A yacht sails near the Saronic Gulf of the Aegean Sea near south coast of Athens, Greece. Photo by Xinhua/Lefteris Partsalis.
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