Retention of plastic waste by riparian vegetation: A case report and systematic review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.57188/Keywords:
plastic dispersion, plastic sinks, terrestrial ecosystems, vegetation and plasticsAbstract
Poor plastic waste management has led to its widespread dispersion in terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems, causing significant impacts on biodiversity. While most studies focus on marine and coastal environments, continental ecosystems remain largely unexplored. In this report, we document for the first time the retention of plastic debris by riparian vegetation in the Sechura River in northern Peru. Observations reveal that these plants act as physical traps and sinks, progressively releasing meso- and microplastics into the river, which flows into the San Pedro mangrove, a Ramsar site of international importance. We also conducted a systematic review of the literature in Scopus and PubMed following the PRISMA methodology, identifying the limited evidence available on flora-plastic interactions in South America. Our findings underscore the need for studies focused on this phenomenon with direct implications for environmental management and coastal wetland conservation.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Félix Ayala, Vicky Almendra Correa Seminario, Susan Thalia Huamani Quico, Juan Tume-Ruiz, Antia Rangel-Vega, Sonia Ramos-Baldarrago, Susana Cárdenas-Alayza
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Manglar is an open access journal distributed under the terms and conditions of Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license
