Evaluation of Microplastics Content in Mediterranean Wetlands.

Microplastics (MPs), recently classified as major global pollutants, are ubiquitous across all ecosystems, particularly aquatic ones. Their increasing presence in these environments, driven by anthropogenic activities, is now recognized as a growing global threat. This research aims to establish a relationship between the microplastic content in the water column of a group of Mediterranean wetlands and the different anthropogenic activities within their drainage basins. For this purpose, six wetlands located in the province of Albacete (southeast of Spain) were selected. These wetlands had distinct land uses in their drainage basins: three with agricultural/livestock use and three with forest use. A buffer zone ecosystem (within 50 meters from the edge of the wetland) was established to determine the relationship between land uses in the drainage basins and the presence of plastics in the wetlands. For this, water samples were collected via transects from the shoreline to open waters. Two types of MPs samples were collected: the first by in situ filtration with a 20 µm Nitex mesh, and the second by laboratory filtration of 2 liters through 1 µm Whatman GF/B filters. Afterward, MPs were microscopically analyzed and quantified. The results confirmed the presence of MPs in all wetlands under study. This finding is primarily attributed to the specific typology of agricultural/livestock and forest use in the study area, which, in both cases, allows for the presence of plastics in the buffer zone and their subsequent entry into these ecosystems. Nevertheless, the findings reinforce the need to establish prevention strategies to mitigate and prevent MPs pollution in these environments, through appropriate land use management in the drainage basins to prevent MP contamination.