Microplastics pollution in sediments of Moroccan urban beaches: The Taghazout coast as a case study

Marine plastic pollution in Morocco: state of the knowledge on origin, occurrence, fate, and management

“…However, few studies investigated plastic pollution in the Moroccan coastal environment (Loulad et al 2016 ; Alshawafi et al 2017 , 2018 ; Ben-Haddad et al 2022a , 2022b ; Abelouah et al 2022 ). Ben-Haddad et al ( 2022b ) stated that Moroccan beaches, mainly those located in the central Atlantic, are severely affected by microplastics.…”

“…However, few studies investigated plastic pollution in the Moroccan coastal environment (Loulad et al 2016 ; Alshawafi et al 2017 , 2018 ; Ben-Haddad et al 2022a , 2022b ; Abelouah et al 2022 ). Ben-Haddad et al ( 2022b ) stated that Moroccan beaches, mainly those located in the central Atlantic, are severely affected by microplastics. Indeed, in 2016, Morocco was ranked as the 9 th largest producer of plastic among African countries and faced many challenges linked to waste management (WWF 2019 ) while it engenders 0.69Mt of plastic waste yearly, of which 57% leaks into nature.…”

Has the “Covid-19” lockdown an impact on beach faunal communities? The central Atlantic coast of Morocco as a case study

“…The study area has been subjected to high pressures from urban development, mainly related to the construction of tourist facilities such as the “Taghazout Bay”, a 615-ha seaside tourist complex. This complex currently has hotels, tourist villages, restaurants, small shops, a beach club, a medina and golf, tennis, surfing and soccer academies ( Ben-Haddad et al, 2022b ). These activities attract national and international visitors as well as beachgoers, representing a major source of local disturbances to the faunal communities.…”

“…Whereas, it reached high levels before and after the lockdown peak (9.03 ± 1.13 % in 2019 and 8.41 ± 1.50 % in 2022). Therefore, the marine litter disposal by the beachgoers in the study ( Abelouah et al, 2021 ) as well as the occasional sewage by the tourist facilities on the beach ( Ben-Haddad et al, 2022b ) contribute to the elevation of organic matter content in the sediment. Visitors' absence during the lockdown may have reduced the organic waste on the beach.…”

“…Microplastic pollution is one example of how anthropogenic activities can affect the faunal communities of sandy beaches besides trampling, cleaning, and vehicle traffic. Indeed, Cho et al (2021) and Ben-Haddad et al (2022b) reported that microplastic contamination in the fresh tissue of bivalves living in sandy beaches was relatively high in urbanized areas that attract high and several anthropogenic activities. Significantly, it has been shown that they provoke neurotoxicity and oxidative stress to key species of beach communities ( Tlili et al, 2020 ; Costa et al, 2020 ).…”