Marine Debris in Marine Protected Areas

 Marine debris  is defined as "any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned into the marine environment or the Great Lakes". Marine debris encompasses materials of a wide range of sizes and diverse origins, including  microplastics  and other forms of  ocean plastic pollution , along with larger items like derelict fishing gear or abandoned vessels.

Marine debris can come from  land-based mismanaged human waste , as well as  at-sea activit ies like shipping and fishing. Once in the marine environment, debris can circulate widely, potentially ending up far away from the original debris source.

Marine debris is a  transboundary  issue, or an issue that spans jurisdictions and habitats, including marine protected areas. Learn more about types and sources of marine debris via the  NOAA Marine Debris Program ,  non-profit resources , and  academic research . 

 Marine protected areas (MPAs)  are places in marine and lake environments with special biological or cultural significance. We protect these valuable places to conserve cultural heritage, habitat, and biodiversity for future generations while building  resilience  to face future challenges. MPAs function best as part of an effectively managed and  ecologically connected network . They can be  classified  in different ways based on their protection status, but around the globe all MPAs share the common goal of  ocean conservation .

Marine debris is an international problem, impacting coastlines and habitats regardless of protection status. Even r emote  locations far from direct human influence contend with marine debris that may come from thousands of kilometers away. The pervasiveness of the problem does not make it any less damaging. Impacts from marine debris can be particularly harmful in MPAs, because they are home to vulnerable and sensitive resources.

MPAs are  designed  to protect important biological, cultural, and historical resources which may be particularly susceptible to stress or damage caused by marine debris. Marine debris can compromise individual  organisms or populations , impact  biodiversity , damage protected  habitats  or resources, reduce aesthetic enjoyment, and  economically  impact the site or adjacent communities. Marine debris can also exacerbate other threats.

In action, these types of impacts may look like:

• Smothering or abrasion of benthic organisms like corals that can lead to stress or their death
• Entanglement of birds, fish, and marine mammals. Entangled animals may be more prone to ship strikes or other human-induced trauma.
• Degradation of shipwrecks from wear-and-tear by debris
• Introduction of invasive species or disease through movement and transport of debris

Datasets that document marine debris indicate that marine debris abounds in both coastal and remote protected areas. The points in the map below reflect locations where marine debris was documented via clean-ups and surveys in 2015 - 2018, and reported by NOAA, the Ocean Conservancy, and the European Environmental Agencies. The survey data points overlay a global inventory of marine and coastal protected areas from the  World Database on Protected Areas .