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The first assessment of marine litter on Somalian coast: The case of Liido Beach, Mogadishu
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This first assessment of marine litter on Somalia's Liido Beach found nearly 120,000 items, with plastics accounting for 89% of debris and a mean density of 6.25 items per square meter. Local recreational and shoreline activities were the dominant pollution sources, and the prevalence of plastic litter poses serious threats to marine biodiversity in the West Indian Ocean.
This paper presents the first assessment of marine litter in the Mogadishu coastal area of Somalia. Samples were collected monthly using 100 m × 40 m transect and classified following OSPAR Marine Litter Survey Guide while litter sources were identified using Ocean Conservancy Marine Debris Index. The results showed a total of 119873 items consisting of plastics (89.47%), clothing items (7.53%), and others (3.00%) recovered from Liido Beach. Litter density ranged from 2.19 items/m2 to 14.18 items/m2 with a mean of 6.25 items/m2 and Clean Coast Index (CCI) suggesting that Liido Beach is extremely dirty (>20 items/m2). In addition, the primary sources of marine litter at the beach are local recreational and shoreline activities (54.12%), and dumping (36.61%). The dominance of plastic litter on the beach poses potential threats to marine biodiversity in the Somalia coastal area and the West Indian Ocean. It is recommended that effective strategies and solutions to mitigate litter on the beach and other coastal areas in Somalia should be developed and compensated with public education and awareness campaigns across the country.
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Research digests by email
When a large batch of papers lands in the Atlas, we read through it and send a short write-up of what stood out.