MARINE DEBRIS ACCUMULATION ON THE BEACH OF TASIK RIA LOCAL TOURISM DESTINATION NORTH SULAWESI INDONESIA

Abstract. Marine debris is a global issue and a hot topic in Indonesia. This study involved collecting and quantifying various types of debris at Tasik Ria Beach. The study area is Tasik Ria Beach, a small local tourist destination in Minahasa and Manado areas, with high biodiversity and an essential source of seagrass providing significant and vital habitat for endangered species. Debris was collected on sandy beach and mud beach areas between May and August 2022. The results indicated that ceramic and glass debris was found in the greatest number followed by plastic and other debris, thin plastic, and hard plastic. The major contributing factor to the debris abundance in Tasik Ria beach was the shoreline and recreational activities which showed that the land-based sources provided major inputs of plastic pollution at the beaches. The Clean Coastal Index (CCI) calculation of Tasik Ria Beach yielded a result of 5.8 at the sandy beach whereas at the mud beach was 0.65. Thus, the sandy beach was classified as moderately clean and the mud beach was classified as very clean.