Distribution of marine debris in Jakarta Bay and its implication to the coastal ecosystem

Abstract

Citarum River, which ended up in Muaragembong, Bekasi Regency-West Java Province, is known recently as one of the most polluted rivers globally, including pollution caused by plastic litter. This research was conducted in the surrounding river, estuary, and mangrove ecosystem in Muaragembong, which aimed to determine macro debris and analyze its impact on the coastal ecosystem. Marine debris sampling in the mangrove ecosystem was done by line transect, while the net using for marine debris sampling surrounding river and estuary. The result showed that debris composition in Muaragembong consisted of 80% inorganic and 20% organic, where plastic debris dominated with 50-81% and was distributed throughout the estuary and mangrove ecosystem. The highest density was found in the mangrove ecosystem in the Kali Mati Estuary (Pantai Sederhana Village) with 222.67 waste/m2, while the heaviest waste was found in the Bendera Estuary (Pantai Bahagia Village) 4,663.64 grams/m2. This condition explained the lack of marine debris management in the Muaragembong estuary, where most inorganic debris originated from household litter. This research also supports data and information for baseline Indonesia’s marine plastic debris due to comprehensive data needed to reduce 70% of marine plastic debris by 2025.