Impacts of Macro- and Microplastics on Macrozoobenthos Abundance in the Intertidal Zone *

Plastics pollution in coastal areas is one of the topics that has received more attention over the past few years. The intertidal zone is a water area that is directly affected by contamination of plastic waste from land and sea. The purpose of this study was to analyze the types and abundance of plastic waste in the intertidal zone and its impact on macrozoobenthos abundance. This research was conducted at Pesisir Desa Jaring Halus in February–April 2017. Macrozoobenthos and macro/microplastics were collected by using quadratic transect. Sediments were collected with a core, to a depth of 30 cm. Microplastic and macroplastic abundances were analyzed using separation of sediment density and hand sorting. The dominant microplastic types were film (52.30%), fibers (24.88%) and fragments (22.74%), followed by pellets (0.1%). The total number of microplastics were 32,633 items and macroplastics were 308 items. Macroplastic abundance is positively correlated with microplastic abundance (0.765). The abundance of macrozoobenthos is negatively correlated with microplastic abundance (−0.368) and with macroplastic abundance (–0.633). The management strategies suggested were cleanup of marine debris, decrease plastic use and buildup of the station of debris processing.