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Plastic Pollution and Marine Conservation: Approaches to Protect Biodiversity and Marine Life provides comprehensive knowledge on the consequences of plastic waste in marine environments at different levels, ranging from ecological and biological, to social, economic and political. The book synthesizes historical information, gaps in current knowledge, and recent discoveries by illustrating the main stages that made plastics a global issue for ocean ecosystems and their wildlife. Written by international experts on marine pollution, marine biology, and management of environmental resources, this book explores the main topics of marine plastic pollution such as input quantification, polluting sources, ultimate fate, ecological consequences, and more.
This an important resource for a wide audience, including marine conservationists, environmental managers, decision-makers, NGOs, private companies, and activists working to combat plastics in our seas and oceans.
List of contents
Preface by Giuseppe Suaria
1. Marine plastics: What's wrong with them?
Giuseppe Bonanno
2. Microplastics in seawater and sediments: Distribution and transport
Mateja Grego, Manca Kovac Virsek and Oliver Bajt
3. Fate, transport and impact of plastic debris on plankton organisms
Giuseppe Bonanno
4. Plastic impact on marine benthic organisms and food webs
Valentina Pitacco, Martina Orlando-Bonaca and Carlo Giacomo Avio
5. Plastic impact on sharks and rays
Lovrenc Lipej, Alessandro Acquavita, Nicola Bettoso and Francesco Cumani
6. Marine organisms as bioindicators of plastic pollution
Martina Orlando-Bonaca, Carlo Giacomo Avio and Giuseppe Bonanno
7. Marine protected areas and plastic pollution
Giuseppe Bonanno
8. Microplastics pollution: A thriller with many leading roles and an unknown ending
Ana Rotter, Ernesta Grigalionyte-Bembic, Katja Klun and Rachel Tiller
9. Perspectives on marine plastics
Giuseppe Bonanno
About the author
Giuseppe Bonanno is a civil and environmental engineer at the University of Catania in Italy. He has a PhD in Plant Biology and Ecology. He is a university researcher and scientific communicator in his current role. Dr. Bonanno’s research interests range from biodiversity conservation to environmental education. His primary research involves terrestrial and marine biomonitoring, pollution related to heavy metals and plastic debris, and environmental management and conservation policies.Martina Orlando-Bonaca is a marine biologist with a degree from the University of Trieste in Italy, specifically from the Faculty of Natural Sciences in the Department of Algology. She received her PhD in Marine Biology from the University of Maribor in Slovenia. Her primary research interests include marine biology and ecology, macroalgae, marine seagrasses, coastal fish assemblages, benthic habitat types, benthic invertebrates, and environmental and ecological pollution assessments.
