Marine debris assessment and clean coast index of Pantai Navy Labuan, Wilayah Persekutuan Labuan, Malaysia

Abstract

Marine debris is described as any solid materials that are directly discharged into the marine and coastal ecosystems. Marine debris issues are recognized as a major stressor on the marine and coastal ecosystem around the world, including Malaysia. In this study, the coast cleanliness of Navi Beach, Labuan (coordinates of 5.2759, 115.2587) was assessed using Clean-Coast Index (CCI). The marine debris was collected for two days during northeast monsoon season at the same coastal area around using the transect survey method. Marine Debris Tracker application was used to record the type of debris found and categorized by type of material. The number of debris collected for Day 1 and Day 2 were 73 items and 288 items, respectively. 61.6% of the total debris found on Day 1 of the survey was categorized as plastic items. While for Day 2, 56.6% of the debris was categorized as lumber types, 24% was plastic and 18.8% was other items. The average value of CCI at the coastal area of Navi Beach, Labuan, was 0.64, considered as ‘very clean according to the CCI index value.