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sep 20, 2021

New CMS report

Science

Source: www.cms.int/en

Plastic is not “just” threatening our oceans

A new report by the Secretariat of the UN’s Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) confirms that plastic pollution is impacting land and freshwater species protected by the UN’s Convention on Migratory Species in the Asia-Pacific Region.

The report focuses on the Asia-Pacific region and identifies the impacts of plastic pollution on land and freshwater species protected under the CMS. The study included case studies on the Ganges and Mekong river basins, which together contribute an estimated 200,000 tons of plastic pollution to the Indian Ocean and the Pacific Ocean every year.

Highlights from the report

  • The report confirms that plastic pollution poses a major threat to land and migratory species.
  • The study found that species protected under CMS are impacted by plastic pollution in river ecosystems and on land, including freshwater species, land animals and birds.
  • Mammals, birds and fish are affected through various means, including entanglement, ingestion of plastics, accumulation of microplastics in the food chain, and using plastics in nesting material.
  • The report highlights that global capacity to manage plastic pollution is not keeping pace with projected growth in the plastics market.
  • In the report, authors call for measures that will ultimately drive change upstream to reduce the volume of plastics entering the marketplace.

Read the full report here.

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