Plastic and other litter collected in a small inlet in Fresh Pond along Zagersgut Road. The “disturbing amount of plastic pollution on the island” causes concern for native bird species, fish species and humans, stated the Nature Foundation in a press release on Wednesday, February 2.
~ Especially at Fresh Pond, an important wildlife area ~
COLE BAY--Nature Foundation St. Maarten has continuously seen a disturbing amount of plastic pollution on the island, especially along Zagersgut Road, located next to the Fresh Pond, which is also an “Important Bird Area” for St. Maarten.
Various plastic and other litter items were blown into a small inlet in Fresh Pond, disturbing native bird species, fish species and polluting the water, causing a serious health concern, stated Nature Foundation in a press release on Wednesday, February 2.
“Arriving and seeing that much plastic in one place was devastating. The pieces were likely blown or thrown into the Fresh Pond individually and then blown into the small inlet, where they collected together. Juvenile slider turtles were climbing on top of the plastic and swimming underneath it, indicating that all the water was covered and suffocated by plastics,” stated In-No-Plastic Project Coordinator Alice Manley.
“Plastic pollution seen like this can cause negative environmental effects such as harming our native bird species on St. Maarten.”
According to the press release, Birdlife International designated Fresh Pond as an Important Bird Area for St. Maarten. Due to its low salinity, Fresh Pond supports bird species that are less common in other parts of St. Maarten and the Lesser Antilles.
Fresh Pond is an especially important roosting, foraging and breeding ground for many species of wetland birds, including herons, egrets, brown pelicans, stilts and coots, explained Nature Foundation.
Depending on water depth, the ponds and lagoon shelter populations of fish, molluscs and small invertebrates that provide a great source of food for the birds. The animals living there are very easily affected by plastic pollution, which will usually cost them their lives, stated the press release.
According to Nature Foundation, humans are also greatly affected by plastic. Toxic chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA) leach out of plastics and are found in the blood and tissue of nearly all humans. Exposure to the toxins will increase the risk of certain cancers, can cause hormonal issues and even increase the risk of infertility and birth defects.
Ingesting plastic can also negatively impact the immune system over time, warned the press release. The fish in Fresh Pond will have traces of micro- and nanoplastics in them by either accidentally eating a piece of plastic or mistaking it for their food source. The plastic can then stay in the fish’s stomach, resulting in humans’ indirect ingestion of micro- and nanoplastics. To limit the amount of plastic that is consumed by animals and humans, there will need to be a decrease in the plastic in our environment, said Nature Foundation.
“Plastics can have a detrimental effect on marine and terrestrial life and affect our health. The Nature Foundation St. Maarten is looking forward to the plastic ban being implemented in the near future,” stated foundation manager Melanie Meijer zu Schlochtern.
“Nature Foundation aims to protect and preserve our environment and, therefore, would like to emphasise the negative impacts of having a large collection of plastic such as this one. We strongly encourage everyone to always dispose of their trash and plastics in proper ways, which includes closed bins.”
The foundation’s In-No-Plastic project concentrates on innovative methods to prevent, remove and reuse marine plastic litter. Nature Foundation and In-No-Plastic staff will introduce several social strategies to reduce plastic usage on the island by providing information on various social platforms and presenting it to local students and residents, stated the press release.
Staff will also monitor the amount of plastic found in St. Maarten’s coastal areas over time. In addition, they will monitor and test ocean and lagoon water for microplastics every six months, said the Nature Foundation.
The results from this water testing will show whether the amount of microplastics in the water reduces at the same rate as the macro plastics, which are removed during community clean-ups.
The In-No-Plastic project works with 17 partners and 10 different countries in Europe and the Caribbean. Nature Foundation will work alongside the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA), a partner participating in the In-No-Plastic project.
In-No-Plastic started in October 2020 and is a three-year project funded with a 7.4-million-euro grant from the EU H2020 research project, funded under the call “Pilot action for the removal of marine plastics and litter”, Topic ID: CE-FNR-09-2020 (Grant Agreement 101000612).
Nature Foundation recommended that interested persons check its website
naturefoundationsxm.org/education/in-no-plastic-project or follow Nature Foundation on social media to keep up to date with its work and learn more about plastic pollution.
