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From social networks to bird enthusiasts: reporting interactions between plastic waste and birds in Peru

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  16 March 2023

Félix Ayala Open the ORCID record for Félix Ayala [Opens in a new window] ,
Jhonson K. Vizcarra ,
Karen Castillo-Morales ,
Uriel Torres-Zevallos ,
Cristel Cordero-Maldonado ,
Lyanne Ampuero-Merino ,
Kárlom Herrera-Peralta ,
Gabriel Enrique De-la-Torre ,
Fernando Angulo  and
Susana Cárdenas-Alayza
Félix Ayala*
Affiliation:
Centro para la Sostenibilidad Ambiental, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru Subgerencia de Salud y Medio Ambiente, Municipalidad Provincial de Sechura, Piura, Peru
Jhonson K. Vizcarra
Affiliation:
Administración Técnica Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre Moquegua-Tacna (ATFFS Moquegua-Tacna), Servicio Nacional Forestal y de Fauna Silvestre (SERFOR), Tacna, Peru Escuela de Posgrado, Universidad Nacional Jorge Basadre Grohmann, Tacna, Peru
Karen Castillo-Morales
Affiliation:
Programa de Pós-graduação em Ecologia e Conservação da Biodiversidade, Universidade Federal de Mato Grosso (UFMT), Cuiabá, MT, Brazil
Uriel Torres-Zevallos
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Parasitología, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas (FCB), Universidad Ricardo Palma (URP), Lima, Peru Empresa Ecoturística Los Huacharos de Palestina, San Martin, Peru
Cristel Cordero-Maldonado
Affiliation:
ProDelphinus, Calle José Galvez 780E, Lima, Peru
Lyanne Ampuero-Merino
Affiliation:
Centro para la Sostenibilidad Ambiental, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru Área de Ornitología del Museo de Historia Natural de la Universidad Nacional San Agustín de Arequipa, Arequipa, Peru
Kárlom Herrera-Peralta
Affiliation:
Macanche RAM, Piura, Peru Universidad Nacional de Piura, Piura, Peru
Gabriel Enrique De-la-Torre
Affiliation:
Grupo de Investigación de Biodiversidad, Medio Ambiente y Sociedad, Universidad San Ignacio de Loyola, Lima, Peru
Fernando Angulo
Affiliation:
Centro de Ornitología y Biodiversidad (CORBIDI), División de Ornitología, Chiclayo, Peru
Susana Cárdenas-Alayza
Affiliation:
Centro para la Sostenibilidad Ambiental, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru Departamento de Ciencias Biológicas y Fisiológicas, Facultad de Ciencias y Filosofía, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
*
Correspondence to: Félix Ayala, Email: [email protected]
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Summary

Peru has the second-highest diversity of birds in the world, but little is known about the interactions between birds and plastic waste. To fill this knowledge gap, we searched the scientific literature, collected information from social networks such as Facebook and databases such as Macaulay Library and iNaturalist and solicited records through messaging with researchers and bird enthusiasts. We found 119 bird interactions with plastic debris involving 39 species from 20 families, with the red-legged cormorant Phalacrocorax gaimardi and the neotropical cormorant Phalacrocorax brasilianus being the most affected species. By type of interaction category, plastic waste in nests was the most abundant, followed by entanglement, capture and handling and ingestion. Ropes, nets and soft plastics such as bags were the most frequently reported types of waste. As our methodology has limitations, it is probable that other species that also interact with plastic waste have not been reported, so we recommend further study.

Keywords

birdsPeruplastic wastepollutionsocial media
Type
Report
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 50 , Issue 2 , June 2023 , pp. 136 - 141
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Foundation for Environmental Conservation

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