Postberg beach

Coastline vegetation may be close to the highwater mark or pushed far back by the shapes of rocks and sand beaches. The eternal architects of these border landscapes, so much gazed at by humans of all times, are not only the pounding breakers during tempests, but also their serene counterparts, the endless wash of soothing waves on quiet days and nights.

The absence of growing plants visible to the eye on a beach does not signify the absence of life. A little digging in the sand or a magnifying glass will reveal a great deal of living going on where the receding water leaves the wet patch. Natural marine life leftovers, the discarded pieces of kelp, seaweed, shells and other items of interest, even collectables, arrive and disappear continually.

A clean beach is a heavenly place festooned by nature’s deposits. A polluted beach is a depressing sight, an indictment against one species only.

Marine debris in plastic and other forms has become the significant human addition to the burden of the sea and its inhabitants. River mouths and ships are the main distribution centres of marine debris, key points of control in programmes for combatting marine pollution.

Beach holidays allow many people to monitor directly how well the anti-plastic campaign is progressing. Awareness is fortunately growing this concerted effort, increasing its magnitude, hopefully to globally significant levels soon.