Rosanna Fox speaks with Arabella Cooper regarding her beach clean-up mission whilst visiting Marsa Alam, and the importance of promoting awareness to the increasing plastic pollution crisis.

Marsa Alam, southern Egypt.

An enchanting town overlooking the shimmering western coast of the Red Sea, housing a captivating marine ecosystem teeming with green turtles and vibrant coral reefs which are an unparalleled spectacle to behold. It’s no surprise tourists are becoming increasingly drawn to everything Marsa Alam has to offer.

Yet, lurking amongst the abundance of diverse species inhabiting the ocean are masses of plastic pollution, slowly floating toward the shore where they can remain for up to 400 years. We’re all somewhat aware of the plastic crisis polluting our planet - with increasing frequency, stories upon stories have appeared on our screens warning us to give up our plastic straws and to banish our plastic bottles, accompanied with heart-breaking images of mutilated wildlife - but realistically, how many of us have actually come face to face with the issue?

Arabella Cooper, a 25-year-old Animal Management student hailing from Burton-On-Trent, expected to find an endless stretch of iridescent white sand blanketing the shoreline for miles when visiting Marsa Alam in March this year. Instead, she was met with discarded rubbish littering the floor, whilst the spluttering waves of the Red Sea continued to cough up fragments of broken debris at her feet. “There was a mix of general waste such as plastic forks, crisp packets, water bottles, earbuds and sweet wrappers, along with industrial waste like giant plastic bags for gravel and sand, heavy duty plastics, rope, and netting” she recalls. Researchers observe that plastic pollution can be detrimental to marine life in numerous ways, through the ingestion of debris blocking digestive tracts, to becoming trapped in industrial nets strewn into the sea after usage, and it has been reported that microplastics are discovered in the digestive systems of one in six Red Sea fish.

As a budding conservationist with an enthusiasm for environmentalism, Arabella understood the threats plastic posed for a host of marine life. Rather than giving the problem at hand the cold shoulder and continuing on with her visit, she decided to take action, and spent her days traipsing on her own personal beach clean-up mission for a mile at a time along the shoreline with a bag in hand, collecting every piece of trash in her path later to be appropriately disposed of. “Whilst being directly in front of a global issue that I’d seen so much about online, I was finally able to do something to help. We made sure to pick up even the tiny fragments of plastic as these are ingested by marine animals, causing internal damage and ultimately death. One man praised us for doing something positive for the environment, but we mostly received funny looks for carrying around bags of rubbish”, she states.

A bag filled with rubbish, by Arabella Cooper.

But the looks of disdain spurred her on - “I’ve always wanted to clean beaches as a regular environmental hobby to help the planet - not just because the beaches look less appealing, but because I know the impact it has on marine life and how it interferes with natural population fluctuations,” says Arabella, “I think as humans it’s important to ensure our waste is disposed of correctly, as it’s our moral duty to protect wildlife which is already vulnerable”.

Arabella continued her environmental mission in the sea; “we went out snorkelling in the Red Sea beside a host of jellyfish, green sea turtles, tropical fish species, and manatees, to continue picking up floating plastics,” she recalls, “A bin bag floated towards me so I wedged it into my swimsuit to take out of the sea with me”. Alongside setting up home on the shore, around 4.8 to 12.7 million tonnes of plastic are distributed into the ocean per year in the form of large or microplastics, which never degrade completely, travelling through the murky depths of the sea and encountering numerous species along the way.

Arabella (right) after snorkelling for ocean plastics with a rubbish bag tucked into her swimsuit. By Arabella Cooper.

Whilst many dispute the effectiveness of individual beach clean-ups, they play an important role in promoting awareness to the growing issue of plastic pollution, inspiring individuals to come together as a community to nurse our planet back to health. The current issue of Covid-19 has made an increasing number of people aware of overall pollution due to lockdown, and has encouraged people to think more deeply regarding global pollution issues as a whole. “I think more people should definitely partake in beach cleans, and also extend their help to local cleans,” Arabella finishes, “it all helps and promotes a positive attitude toward properly disposing of litter, protecting fragile ecosystems, and the environment as a whole if we all get on board”.

Arabella’s eco-mission demonstrates the powerful capabilities we possess as individuals to make a change - no matter how small the act may be. To people like Arabella: we thank you.