Plastic threatens Galapagos ‘Godzilla’
High levels of plastic pollution have been found in the Galapagos islands.
Researchers found plastic in sea water, on beaches and inside animals on the island of San Cristobal. One hotspot, a beach used by the rare ‘‘Godzilla’’ marine iguana, had more than 400 plastic particles per square metre.
‘‘The pristine image of Galapagos might give the impression that the islands are somehow protected from plastic pollution, but our study clearly shows that’s not the case,’’ said Ceri Lewis of the Global Systems Institute in Exeter, England.
‘‘The highest levels of plastic we found were on east-facing beaches, which are exposed to pollution carried across the eastern Pacific on the Humboldt Current.
‘‘There are fewer than 500 Godzilla marine iguanas in existence, and it’s concerning that they are living alongside this high level of plastic pollution,’’ Lewis said.
Marine vertebrates such as scalloped hammerhead sharks, whale sharks, sea lions and sea turtles were found to be most at risk from swallowing plastic or getting entangled, based on their conservation status and location.
All seven species of marine invertebrates examined contained microplastics, and more than half of the 123 animals tested contained plastic.
Dr Jen Jones of the Galapagos Conservation Trust, the lead author, said: ‘‘These animals are a crucial part of food webs that support the larger species that famously live on and around the Galapagos Islands. Our study highlights how far plastic pollution travels, and how it contaminates every part of marine ecosystems.’’
The study by the University of Exeter, the Galapagos Conservation Trust and the Galapagos Science Centre has been published in the journal Science of the Total Environment.