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Comparative Study on the Microplastics Abundance and Characteristics in Marine Protected Area in Karimunjawa National Park, Indonesia
Summary
Microplastics were found across both protected and unprotected zones of Karimunjawa National Park, a marine conservation area in Indonesia, with concentrations actually higher inside the marine protected area (MPA) than outside. Fragments under 50 micrometers made of common packaging plastics dominated the samples, with sources traced to nearby tourist cottage construction activities on the southern boundary of the MPA. The study highlights that protected area status alone does not shield ecosystems from microplastic contamination when nearby human activities continue unchecked.
Microplastics (MPs) are discovered in various places even encroaching on marine protected areas (MPA). Karimunjawa National Park (KNP) is a national conservation area. The aim of this research is to investigate the occurrences of MPs pollutant in MPA and Non-MPA in KNP. The results showed that MPs from sea surface water were higher in MPA than non-MPA with range as 47.89–106.20 items/L, dominated by fragment, 1-50 µm size, black color and HDPE, LDPE, PP, Nylon, PVC, ABS, and PET in polymer types. It induced since it supplied from it surrounding, specifically the south of MPA, whereas there have been cottage constructions generating many marine debris. These findings indicate that occurrence of MPs still dominantly influenced from anthropogenic activity. However, the hydrodynamic and MPs characteristic as well play an important role in MPs distributions.