Sharjah leads the first Middle Eastern study to monitor the ingestion of marine birds of plastic waste and oils

Sharjah, June 3 / WAM / in a prominent scientific achievement that coincides with the International Environment Day, the Environment and Natural Reserves Authority in Sharjah announced the implementation and publication of the results of the first scientific study of its kind in the Middle East region, aimed at monitoring the swallow of marine birds of solid waste, microflab, and oils.

This study, whose results were published in the prestigious scientific journal “Marine Pollution Bulletin”, is a milestone in understanding the environmental challenges facing marine birds in the coast of the state and the region, and comes within the “Sharjah Program to respond to the wings of marine life”.

The study, which included an examination of the digestive system of 478 duplicating birds of marine and coastal birds (represented 17 different types), was found on the shores of the Arabian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman, that 12.8% of the samples contained marine waste, among this percentage, 11.1% of birds swallowed solid waste, while 1.7% contained oil balls.
The results showed that the plastic plastics, especially polyethylene, were the most common among the materials, especially by the black seagull, as it was noted that the lean birds of the large white gulls family were more likely to swallow the waste compared to the adult birds.

In a sub -sample consisting of 20 birds, the minute fibers formed 77.8% of the delicate microbios, which is likely that the wastewater resulting from washing clothes is one of the main sources of this type of pollution, and the study also confirmed that the oil balls and hunting hits represent immediate and dangerous threats to the lives of these birds.

His Excellency Saif Al -Suwaidi, Chairman of the Environment and Natural Reserves Authority in Sharjah, stressed that this unprecedented study, which is based on an accurate scientific methodology, embodies the authority’s commitment to the vision of His Highness Sheikh Dr. Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi, Member of the Supreme Council and Ruler of Sharjah, in protecting and sustaining environmental systems, and said that its results provide a reference database to monitor long -term environmental trends, and contribute to building effective protection policies based on scientific evidence.
Her Excellency called for the importance of continuing research efforts in cooperation with local and international partners to enhance Sharjah’s position as a regional center in the field of environmental studies, and urged environmental and scientific institutions in the region to adopt similar initiatives to reduce the effects of pollution and enhance the sustainability of marine ecosystems in the Middle East.

• For more: Follow Khaleejion 24 Arabic, Khaleejion 24 English, Khaleejion 24 Live, and for social media follow us on Facebook and Twitter