Plastic pollution on Moroccan beaches: Toward baselines for large-scale assessment

Area of Science:

• Marine pollution
• Environmental science
• Coastal management

Background:

• Morocco is a significant plastic producer in Africa, with increasing plastic pollution concerns on its Atlantic and Mediterranean coasts.
• Limited national data exists on the extent and characteristics of plastic pollution along Moroccan coastlines.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a comprehensive evaluation of plastic pollution on Moroccan beaches.
• To analyze the composition, abundance, distribution, sources, and quality of beach litter across two Moroccan coasts.

Main Methods:

• Monitoring of 29 beaches over two seasons, collecting and quantifying 72,105 litter items.
• Utilizing four beach quality indices to assess environmental status and hazardous litter presence.
• Investigating the influence of seasonality, beach type, and river proximity on litter density.

Main Results:

• Mean litter abundance was 0.31 items/m², with higher density on Mediterranean beaches and in spring.
• Hazardous litter comprised 8.41% of total items collected.
• Beaches were classified as having moderate cleanliness, moderate plastic abundance, moderately safe hazardous litter presence, and a mediocre environmental status.

Conclusions:

• Plastic pollution on Moroccan beaches is influenced by seasonality, beach typology, and river proximity.
• Recreational activities and dumping are primary sources of marine debris.
• Recommendations include source reduction, mitigation strategies, and behavioral changes in waste management.