This record provides an overview of the NESP Marine and Coastal Hub small-scale study - "Microplastics in South Eastern Australian coastal waters: synthesising current data and identifying key knowledge gaps for the management of plastic pollution". For specific data outputs from this project, please see child records associated with this metadata.

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Plastic pollution is pervasive in coastal environments globally and in Australia. Due to their small size, microplastics (pieces <5mm) are readily ingested by marine organisms and potentially accumulate across food webs, raising concerns for biota, ecosystem services and human health. Yet, to define guidelines and support policy actions that curb microplastic pollution, managers and decision-makers lack clear, synthesised information on this multifaceted issue, including on occurrence, sources, and pathways of microplastics in coastal and marine environments.

This project synthesised current knowledge on microplastics in the coastal waters of South-Eastern Australia (South Australia, Victoria, and New South Wales), identifying key gaps in data, monitoring, and risk assessment. A central output was a compiled database of existing microplastics studies across the study region. Through engagement with stakeholders from government, research, and industry, the project defined shared priorities and barriers to action. Three critical research needs were identified: (1) methodological harmonisation, (2) source and pathway identification, and (3) evidence of ecological risk. Together, the synthesis and stakeholder input set a clear direction for future coordinated research to enable evidence-based management of microplastic pollution across jurisdictions.

The work laid the foundation for the development of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for marine microplastics sampling, which was subsequently delivered through NESP Marine and Coastal Hub Project 2.2 ( https://www.nespmarinecoastal.edu.au/project/2-2): chapter "Marine sampling field manual for microplastics" in Field Manuals for Marine Sampling to Monitor Australian Waters, Version 3 ( https://microplastics-field-manual.github.io).

Outputs

• Inventory of compiled datasets relating to microplastics in SE Aus waters [spatial dataset]

• Final Project Report synthesising the information available on the presence of microplastics in coastal marine environments in South Eastern Australia, its potential sources and pathways [written]