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Retention of plastic waste by riparian vegetation: a case report and systematic review
Original title: Retención de residuos plásticos por vegetación ribereña: Reporte de caso y revisión sistemática
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Plants growing along Peru's Sechura River were found to trap plastic waste, slowly breaking it down into smaller pieces that flow downstream into a protected mangrove wetland. A linked literature review found little existing research on plants interacting with plastic waste in South America.
Poor plastic waste management has led to its widespread dispersion in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, causing significant impacts on biodiversity. While most studies focus on marine and coastal environments, continental ecosystems remain largely unexplored. In this report, we document for the first time the retention of plastic debris by riparian vegetation in the Sechura River in northern Peru. Observations reveal that these plants act as physical traps and sinks, progressively releasing meso- and microplastics into the river, which flows into the San Pedro mangrove, a Ramsar site of international importance. We also conducted a systematic review of the literature in Scopus and PubMed following the PRISMA methodology, identifying the limited evidence available on flora-plastic interactions in South America. Our findings underscore the need for studies focused on this phenomenon with direct implications for environmental management and coastal wetland conservation.
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