Human impacts on rimurimu

Ocean Plastic Simulator models plastic movement in Cook Strait

Human activities have major impacts on the sea and its inhabitants. Some of these impacts can happen directly – if there is an oil spill or physical damage from trawling or dredging. Other impacts can come indirectly from the way we interact with the environment or from the changing climate. Such threats do not exist in isolation – they accumulate and multiply, making it difficult for marine species to adapt quickly enough to cope.