The research, led by the Cienfuegos Center for Environmental Studies (CEAC), produced the first high-resolution map of microplastic pollution in Cuba’s coral reefs, with findings that link local sources and Caribbean ocean currents, CEAC told Prensa Latina.

  The study, published in the journal Microplastics, was supported by the IAEA Marine Laboratories (Monaco), the Cayo Santa Maria Wildlife Refuge, and the University of Wisconsin-Superior (USA). The analyses were carried out as part of the Bojeo a Cuba scientific expedition.

  The most frequently found polymers were polyethylene, polypropylene, and polyamide, although in areas with high human activity, compounds such as polyurethane, Teflon, and PVC appeared, indicating local discharges.

  Protected areas showed fewer particles, but some presented high levels, pointing to the influence of marine circulation in the Yucatan Channel.

  “These results confirm that even remote reefs are not immune to pollution transported on a regional scale,” the authors noted.

  The study provides a baseline for future conservation policies and strengthens environmental monitoring in ecosystems vital to biodiversity and coastal communities in Cuba.

  The UN acknowledged in the World Ocean Assessment that the amount of plastic in the ocean continues to increase due to poor waste management, litter pollution, abrasion caused by microplastics, and marine activities.

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