World Wetlands Day wombling on Lihou

World Wetlands Day wombling on Lihou

Due to the wild and windy weather the rock pooling and crab measuring were postponed to another day.

However the litter pick still went ahead.

Lihou is a wetland and important RAMSAR site on Guernsey.

It was a wild, wet and windy day in February 2022.

Julia Henney, Biodiversity Officer, Bailiwick of Guernsey

Introduction and safety briefing
On the causeway
Litter everywhere
Taking it all back to the van
On the causeway
Struggling to stay upright in the wind
Rubbish
More rubbish
Too much plastic
Rusty Oil tins
Bags and bags
More plastic
The rock pooling and crab measuring will have to wait until better weather
A description of this kelp seaweed Furbellows (Saccorhiza polyschides) is warty balls and frilly knickers - these are the balls
Seaweeds don't have roots but holdfasts
This may look like polypropene rope but it is in fact kelp fronds

Wetlands are vital for human survival. They are among the world’s most productive environments; cradles of biological diversity that provide the water and productivity upon which countless species of plants and animals depend for survival.

Wetlands are indispensable for the countless benefits or “ecosystem services” that they provide humanity, ranging from freshwater supply, food and building materials, and biodiversity, to flood control, groundwater recharge, and climate change mitigation.

Yet study after study demonstrates that wetland area and quality continue to decline in most regions of the world. As a result, the ecosystem services that wetlands provide to people are compromised.

Fact Sheet

The problem with plastics – Microplastics

Microplastics are small plastic pieces less than five millimeters long which can be harmful to our ocean and aquatic life. … Plastic debris can come in all shapes and sizes, but those that are less than five millimeters in length (or about the size of a sesame seed) are called “microplastics

Microplastics cause damage to human cells in the laboratory at the levels known to be eaten by people via their food, a study from the University of Hull has  found.

Scientists have since seen microplastics everywhere they have looked: in deep oceans; in Arctic snow and Antarctic ice; in shellfish, table salt, drinking water and beer; and drifting in the air or falling with rain over mountains and cities. These tiny pieces could take decades or more to degrade fully. It’s almost certain that there is a level of exposure in just about all species including humans.

reference: https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-021-01143-3

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