Physical Assessment of Marine Debris Along the Coast of Brunei Darussalam

Abstract

Debris along coastlines is a global issue as it affects ecosystem, human health, tourism and economy; thus, requires more attention from town planners, policy makers and researchers. Various studies have been conducted around the world to identify and quantify the debris, its sources and mitigation strategies; however, it is a pioneer study of its kind in Brunei Darussalam. The current study involves selection of different beaches, debris collection and its physical analysis. Brunei Darussalam has 161 km long coast along South China Sea and the debris was collected from four different beaches in the month of May considering different sources related to anthropogenic, riverine and sea-based activities. The selected areas for study were 110x30 m2 and collected samples were categorized by number, weight, size and colour. By number, large amount of plastic (91.46%) was found on all four beaches followed by miscellaneous materials. As, the most abundant type of debris was plastic, hence it was further classified on the basis of size and colour. Most of the materials found on these beaches were the result from land based human activities, but the contribution of debris through the waterways is also significant.