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The Detrimental Impacts of Plastic Pollution on Wildlife
Summary
This review examines the harmful effects of plastic pollution on wildlife across marine, coastal, and terrestrial habitats, including entanglement, ingestion, and chemical exposure. Researchers found that over 2,000 species are affected by plastic debris, with microplastics presenting a particular concern because they can accumulate toxic chemicals and enter food chains. The study calls for stronger policy measures and public awareness to reduce plastic waste and protect biodiversity.
About 11 million tonnes of land-based plastic waste make its way into the ocean each year and affect also terrestrial habitats. Plastic pollution creates adverse problems for wildlife. Marine, coastal and terrestrial species are affected. Animals can be entanglement or accidentally ingesting plastic. Plastic ingestion can block digestive tracts or pierce internal organs in wildlife. It can also choke, and starve animals by thinking they’re full from eating plastic or provoque wounds. Microplastics have been found in almost every vertebrate and invertebrate species. This material can lead to could cause liver and cell damage as well as disruptions to reproductive systems. In this brief review, we present the main impacts of plastics on wildlife and what we can do to decrease their negative impacts.
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