Published on Thursday, May 25, 2017
Remote Island in the South Pacific Covered
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Henderson Island is located along the South Pacific Gyre and is considered one of the most remote places on Earth. It’s part of the Pitcairn Island group that’s considered an UNESCO World Heritage Listed Site. This 3,700 hectare island hosts ten endemic plant species and four land bird species. For a small island, it is biologically diverse and also plays a large role for marine creatures such as seabirds and sea turtles. Although this island has been largely untouched by humans, it is now a victim to society’s problem of plastic waste.
Researchers have found that the island is polluted with approximately 38 million pieces of plastic – equivalent to 17 tonnes. According to marine scientists, Henderson Island has the highest density of anthropogenic debris ever recorded. 99.8% of this debris is plastic. Dr. Jennifer Lavers from the University of Tasmania’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies wanted to look deeper into the issue and found that there is more than meets the eye. They went down 10 centimeters into the sand and found “that around 65 to 70 percent of the plastic present on a beach is not actually visible to the naked eye.” This video reveals that society’s wasteful behaviour has farther reaching repercussions than we think.
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