06 Feb 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.
Julia Henney, Biodiversity Officer, Bailiwick of Guernsey
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.
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
The Great Pacific Garbage patch
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