Page 1 of 21
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP
e-ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 01 Issue 05
June 2015
[Tapez un texte] Page 480
Beach pollution from marine litter: Case of six beaches in
the Limbe and Kribi municipalities of Cameroon
Lawrence O. Mbeng 1*, David. Mboglen1 and George Y. Chiambeng2
1The University of Douala, Institute of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences at Yabassi, PO Box
7236, Douala, Cameroon
2Research station for fisheries and oceanography, Batoke PO Box 77, Limbe, Cameroon
*Corresponding author: b23obenmbeng@yahoo.fr
Abstract
The aim of this research paper is to assess
beach pollution from marine litter
involving three beaches in the Limbe
municipality ( Idenau, Semme and IRAD)
and the Kribi municipality
( Londji II, Nziou and Ngoye) between
May and September 2014. The
methodology consisted of a beach survey
and a waste composition study using direct
observation and mechanical and electronic
balance. Laboratory analysis of fecal
coliform was carried out to determine the
ecological and human health impacts;
Questionnaires were used to determine
public perception on the phenomenon of
beach pollution by marine litter. Waste
composition study revealed that the fishing
beaches of Idenau were heavily polluted
with wood fragments (28, 0%), plastics
(23, 8%) and 7.1% for others like fruits of
nypas spp while for Londji II, wood
fragments (22, 7%), plastics (20, 5%) and
4.6% for others like fruits of nypas spp.
From questionnaire analysis, 78, 6% of
respondents in the Limbe beaches and 81,
8% in the Kribi beaches mentioned old
and abandoned canoes, fishing nets,
plastics and plant debris as the main
sources of beach pollution. The results also
revealed that Idenau and Londji II beaches
were highly contaminated with fecal
coliform within a range of 4730 – 5980
CFU/100ml and 3170–4150 CFU/100ml
respectfully, not in line with U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
(USEPA) and World Health Organization
(WHO) recommendations for drinking,
swimming, boating and fishing. Many
stakeholders agreed on an integrated
approach involving education and
sensitization with practical exercises of
beach clean-ups and maintenance.
Keywords: Beach pollution; marine litter;
waste composition; perception, fecal
colliform
1. INTRODUCTION
Most significant sources and studies
describe amounts of marine litter in terms
of "number of items", as most data stems
Page 2 of 21
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP
e-ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 01 Issue 05
June 2015
[Tapez un texte] Page 481
from monitoring beach litter. Volumes (in
kg or m3) have been highlighted in some
studies, although not often (Eduard et al.,
2013). This is important, since the "number
of items" (and resulting percentages
regarding most prevalent marine litter
types) do not necessarily reflect the
importance of the items in terms of impacts
(Eduard et al., 2013). Moreover, all
monitoring results depend very much on
the state of affairs prevailing on the day of
the survey (i.e. weather condition including
wind direction, timing of the last survey or
cleaning event etc.) and in the area (i.e.
currents, distance to sources etc.), making
data aggregation and up-scaling difficult
(Eduard et al., 2013).
This paper presents the results of beach
pollution by marine litter using three
beaches each from Limbe municipality in
the South West Region and kribi
municipality in the South Regions of
Cameroon. Data from these case study
areas reveal that marine litter and fecal
colliforms affect the ecological health of
beaches, tourism and fishing activities.
1.1 AN OVERVIEW OF BEACH
SURVEYS
Beach survey is one of several methods
used to observe marine litter in the marine
environment which however varies with
sampling protocols. For example, they can
record the number of items and/or the mass
of waste (Figure 1), and can differ in the
areas covered by Oslo Paris Convention
for Protection of the Marine Environment
of the North-East Atlantic (OSPAR).
Figure 1: Composition and numbers of marine litter items found on beaches within OSPAR
network. Source: (OSPAR, 2009)
Page 3 of 21
Journal for Studies in Management and Planning
Available at http://internationaljournalofresearch.org/index.php/JSMaP
e-ISSN: 2395-0463
Volume 01 Issue 05
June 2015
[Tapez un texte] Page 482
Plastic litter on OSPAR beaches fluctuated
between 2001 and 2006 with no discrete
pattern. The composition of the plastic
litter also changed, particularly for
plastic/polystyrene (OSPAR, 2009) (Figure
2).
Figure 2: Changes in composition of marine items found on beaches within OSPAR network.
Source: (OSPAR, 2009)
1.2 STUDY AREA
Cameroon is located in the Gulf of Guinea
between Gabon, Equatorial Guinea and
Nigeria with 15.7 million inhabitants
covering an area of 475,000 km2
(Human
Development Report, 2006). This gives the
country a wide geographical and ecological
diversity favorable for the growth of
different fish species. Cameroon has great
potential with 420 km of maritime coast,
mangrove forest, lagoons and many
beaches (Agardy, 1994).
Limbe is a coastal town and an economic
center of the South-West Region of
Cameroon. It has a population of about
150,000 inhabitants and a land area of 596
km2
(National Institute of Statistics, 2007).
It is bordered to the West by the Idenau
District, East by Mutengene, North by
Buea, and to the South by the Atlantic
Ocean. Cameroon beaches are described
as ‘LUNGS’ of the economy due to their
high productivity, lodging a majority of the
economic activities. Kribi is a coastal town
in the South Region of Cameroon, with
