Plastic ingestion by juvenile green turtles (Chelonia mydas) off the coast of Southern Brazil.

Five of the seven extant sea turtle species in the world forage on the coast of Southern Brazil at least in some stage of their life cycle. The green turtle Chelonia mydas frequently strands on beaches of Rio Grande do Sul State. The species is currently classified as vulnerable to extinction in the region, and pollution by marine debris is one of the most conspicuous threats to its conservation.

Ingestion of marine debris by the White-chinned Petrel (Procellaria aequinoctialis): Is it increasing over time off southern Brazil?

Seabirds are amongst the most affected organisms by plastic pollution worldwide. Ingestion of marine debris has been reported in at least 122 species, and owing to the increasing global production and persistence of these anthropogenic materials within the marine environment, it is expected to be a growing problem to the marine fauna. Here we report evidence of an increasing frequency in marine debris ingestion and a decrease in the amount of plastic pellets ingested by White-chinned Petrels attending south Brazilian waters during the last three decades.