participate in;in consequence;be native to;out of control;die out;take over |
Masks that helped save lives are proving a deadly danger for wildlife,with birds and sea creatures trapped in the shocking number of thrown-away facial coverings.Single-use masks have been found around pavements,waterways and beaches worldwide.Worn once,the thin protective materials can take hundreds of years to decompose."Face masks aren't going away any time soon—but when we throw them away,these items can harm the environment and the animals," Ashley Fruno of animal rights group PETA said.
In Britain,a gull was rescued by the RSPCA after its legs became tangled in the straps of a mask for up to a week.The animal welfare charity took it to a wildlife hospital for treatment before its release.
The biggest impact may be in the water.More than 1.5 billion masks made their way into the world's oceans last year,accounting for around 6,200 extra tons of ocean plastic pollution,according to environmental group Oceans Asia.
Conservationists in Brazil found one mask inside the stomach of a penguin after its body was washed up on a beach,while a dead pufferfish was discovered caught inside another off the coast of Miami.French campaigners found a dead crab trapped in a mask near the Mediterranean.Masks and gloves are "particularly problematic" for sea creatures,says George Leonard,chief scientist from NGO Ocean Conservancy."When those plastics break down in the environment,they then enter the food chain and impact entire ecosystems," he added.
There has been a shift towards greater use of reusable cloth masks as the pandemic has worn on,but many are still using the lighter single-use varieties.Campaigners have urged people to bin them properly and cut the straps to reduce the risk of animals becoming trapped.Oceans Asia has also called on governments to increase fines for littering and encourage the use of washable masks.
Natural silence—the kind when you hear nothing but the sound of nature around you—is becoming increasingly scarce.The rumblings of man-made noise can be heard even in the remote corners of national parks and deep in the Arctic Ocean.
This is having a troubling effect.In humans,noise pollution has been linked to cardiovascular disease,mental health problems and cognitive impairment in children.In wildlife,it's disrupting navigation,mating rituals,communication and can cause hearing loss."We're losing the ability to listen to nature without noise pollution," says sound recordist Matt Mikkelsen.He's part of the non-profit organization Quiet Parks International,which aims to identify and preserve the planet's last quiet places.
Recently,this took him to Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in northeastern Minnesota.No cars,motor boats,electricity or telephone lines are allowed in the 1-million-acre area,making it a strong candidate for Quiet Park status.But listening back to the recording,Mikkelsen can hear the low hum of a commercial jet flying far away.
Quiet Parks hasn't yet decided if Boundary Waters meets its criteria—it's one of 260 potential sites around the world that the organization is currently exploring.The team will analyze the sound recordings from each location and consider them alongside other data.
In recent years,the world has been getting louder,with cities and towns expanding and an increasing number of beeping cars,whooshing airplanes and cargo ships with blasting horns.But during the COVID-19 pandemic,there has been momentary respite.In 2020,global air travel was down by 60% and road transport decreased by almost half.Scientists in Europe found that noise caused by humans fell by up to 50% after lockdowns were imposed.
"People relished the silence," says Mikkelsen."There were no airplanes in the sky and cars weren't on the street...It was a miraculous thing to be able to hear the world,all of a sudden,free from noise pollution,"he says.Since the start of the pandemic,Quiet Parks says it has experienced a huge surge in interest for quiet places."I hope that we can take that desire for a world with less noise forward," says Mikkelsen,"and appreciate the spots we have,where we can go and not experience noise pollution."
