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Land-based anthropogenic pollutants and their ecological impacts on marine ecosystems: A scoping review with implications for Small Island Developing States and Mauritius
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This review of 98 studies found that pollution from land, including heavy metals, fertilizers, pesticides, and microplastics, is damaging coral reefs and building up in marine life even when pollution levels seem officially "safe." This matters because small island nations like Mauritius depend heavily on healthy oceans for food and livelihoods, and eating contaminated seafood could expose people to these accumulated pollutants too.
Globally, land-based pollution accounts for approximately 80% of marine degradation. However, evidence connecting terrestrial sources to ecological outcomes remains fragmented across scientific disciplines, geographic regions, and pollutant categories. This Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guided scoping review mapped 98 studies to identify dominant pollutants, land-sea connectivity pathways, and ecological impacts, with particular focus on Small Island Developing States (SIDS), including Mauritius. Heavy metals (n = 31), nutrients (n = 27), and pesticides (n = 14) were the most studied pollutant categories, transported primarily via river discharge, surface runoff, and submarine groundwater discharge. Observed ecological impacts included bioaccumulation, eutrophication-driven phase shifts, and coral reef degradation, even when pollutant concentrations were below regulatory thresholds. The Mauritian evidence base (n = 18) aligned with global trends regarding heavy metals and microplastics; however, significant gaps were identified in pesticide research, integrated land-sea pathway assessment, and long-term ecological monitoring. These findings underscore the need for a precautionary, catchment-to-coast management approach for SIDS, where short catchments and high dependence on the marine environment increase pollution risks.
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