Calls for clean-up to remove plastic waste piling up on the Wessel Islands, off Arnhem Land – ABC News

It should be a pristine stretch of Northern Territory, but the Wessel Islands archipelago is being choked by plastic waste, and Charles Darwin University researchers and rangerssay the problem is only worsening.

The archipelago, which liesjust off the coast of Arnhem Land, is renowned for its picturesque beauty, but also as a biodiversity hotspot, anda haven for several endangered species.

However, growing amounts of plastic waste are washing up on itsbeaches, putting all of that at risk, according to Charles Darwin University research fellow Carol Palmer.

"I would say the archipelago is the most-littered place in the Northern Territory, if not Northern Australia,"Dr Palmer said.

Dr Palmer said she first noticed the plastic waste on a visit in 2011and, since then, she hadseen more and more rubbish of all kinds washing up.

"The amount of plastics, fishing gear [and]ghost netswas astounding," she said.

Photosshow plastic bottles, cartons, foamand even a battered, sun-bleached toy scooter littering one of the archipelago'sbeaches.

"Certainly, working with both the traditional owners and the Gumurr Marthakal Rangers, we all agreed that this hasnever, ever been recorded at this level before."

Executive officer of the Gumurr Marthakal Rangers, Marcus Lacey, saidwesterly winds during the wet season broughtthe plastic in from the Timor Sea, which was thendumped onto the islands during dry season winds.

Dr Palmersaid she had beenalso been surprised by the increase of ghost nets washing up, abandoned nets thatcould stretch for kilometres, snagging fish and other marine life.

"It would be really great to do a review of what is the percentage of the netting, the plastics, to work out where it's from," she said.

"Because it's not just all Asian. It's certainly Australian gear too."

The Gumurr Marthakal Rangershave managed the area around the Wessel Islands since 2016, and Mr Lacey also has a strong family connection to the islands.

"The waste is worse than it has ever been, and its continuing to get worse after every wet season," he said.

But, because of the isolation and limited resources, it's not a problem the rangers can tackle aloneand, Dr Palmer says,it will notbe an easy fix.

"It's very expensive to try [to]sort out, and requires a reallybig planning process," she said.

"To do the first clean-up will probably be the biggest clean-up in Australia I would say."

Dr Palmer said the task would befurther complicated because most of the work wouldneed to be boat-based, and required cooperation between traditional owners and rangers, scientists,government and non-government organisations.

"It does require good funding and ongoing funding, not just a couple of years. It's actually long-term funding so we can actually maintain this."

Mr Lacey is also calling a permanent ranger station there, after the last permanent settlement was destroyed by Tropical Cyclone Monica in 2006.

"To give people, and traditional owners, a chance to have access to their country, and to care for it," he said.

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Calls for clean-up to remove plastic waste piling up on the Wessel Islands, off Arnhem Land - ABC News