Classifying plastic rubbish in the sperm whale's stomach (Source: VNA) Hanoi (VNA) – Asperm whale has been found dead in Indonesia with 6kg of plastic rubbish,including 115 cups and 25 bags, in its stomach, raising concerns amongenvironmentalists and throwing the spotlight on the country’s waste problem,the AFP news agency reported on November 21.
The 9.5m carcass was found in Wakatobi NationalPark in southeast Sulawesi province.
Dwi Suprapti, a marine species conservationcoordinator of the World Wildlife Fund Indonesia, said the exact cause of thewhale’s death is not yet known, but there are certainly signs that plasticwaste might have triggered it.
Wakatobi district has urged the Indonesian Governmentto help tackle the marine debris crisis.
Indonesia is rated as the world’s second biggestcontributor to marine debris after China, and a colossal 1.29 million tonnes isestimated to be produced annually.
The problem has grown so bad that Indonesianofficials declared a “garbage emergency” last year after a 6km stretch of coastalong the island of Bali was swamped with rubbish.
Indonesia has pledged to reduce marine plasticwaste by 70 percent by 2025.
It plans to boost recycling services, curb theuse of plastic bags, launch clean-up campaigns, and raise public awareness. –VNA
The 9.5m carcass was found in Wakatobi NationalPark in southeast Sulawesi province.
Dwi Suprapti, a marine species conservationcoordinator of the World Wildlife Fund Indonesia, said the exact cause of thewhale’s death is not yet known, but there are certainly signs that plasticwaste might have triggered it.
Wakatobi district has urged the Indonesian Governmentto help tackle the marine debris crisis.
Indonesia is rated as the world’s second biggestcontributor to marine debris after China, and a colossal 1.29 million tonnes isestimated to be produced annually.
The problem has grown so bad that Indonesianofficials declared a “garbage emergency” last year after a 6km stretch of coastalong the island of Bali was swamped with rubbish.
Indonesia has pledged to reduce marine plasticwaste by 70 percent by 2025.
It plans to boost recycling services, curb theuse of plastic bags, launch clean-up campaigns, and raise public awareness. –VNA
VNA
