Data on the microplastic abundance in sea turtle nesting beaches of Southeast Asia are limited. We sampled four sea turtle nesting beaches in the northern and southern coastal areas of Terengganu, Malaysia between October and November 2018, to investigate microplastic abundance, shape, and colour at both high tide swash zone and dry dunes. Using optical observation, we isolated 2,489 microplastic items, belong to four types: Fibres, fragments, foam, and films. We found more microplastics at the high tide swash zone (58%) compared to the dune zone. Fibres were the most common shape (96.18%). Of the nine recognised colours found, black was the most abundant (35.64%) followed by transparent (24.53%). Of the sites investigated, those on the northern beaches had a higher abundance of microplastics. The causes of this difference were discussed. This study provides baseline data on microplastic contamination in Terengganu turtle nesting beaches. It highlights the need for further research to identify the effects on sea turtle nesting in this region
Abdulmaula Hamza(9-2020)

Background: Libya has been malaria-free since 1973. The risk of malaria re-introduction to Libya is increasing because of the increase in imported malaria cases due to immigration to Libya from countries where malaria is endemic. Cases are mainly due to P. falciparum and Sub-Saharan Africa is the most common origin. This study was conducted to investigate the prevalence of malaria positive cases among illegal immigrants in the southern region of Libya. Methods: A prospective, observational, multi-center study was conducted. Three hundred and three illegal immigrants from 12 different countries were included. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to detect the presence of serum malaria antibodies. Results: A total of 303 immigrants were included in the study with mean age of 25.78±5.92 years. Of them, 195 tested positive for malaria antibodies. Two hundred and sixty nine of the participants came from Brak Al-Shati, 16 from Sebha and 18 from Bergan centers, with 175, 15 and 5 positive cases, respectively. Most of the positive cases (172) arrived in Libya within 1-10 months. The highest number of positive cases (70) came from Ghana followed by (40) from Niger and (39) from Bangladesh. Conclusions: Illegal immigration is a major malaria re-introduction route. The issue of illegal immigration have to be treated urgently to stop the huge influx of illegal immigrants and increase the surveillance activities of infectious diseases in order to keep Libyan territories as a malaria-free lands. Key words: Illegal immigration, Malaria, Libya.
Fadwa Jamaledden Mustafa Kamel Mahanay, Badereddin Bashir K. Annajar, Asma A Ali Oun(11-2021)

The results of marine turtle research and conservation in Libya have not been very well promoted or shared at the regional level, as always claimed by the scientific community. However, this did not affect the commitment of the authority, research institutes, and even civil society towards Marine turtle conservation to safeguard Mediterranean Biodiversity. Indeed, close collaboration at national and regional levels made possible the edition of the present book, which will fill some gaps to further complete the marine turtle picture in the Mediterranean. Furthermore, The National Action Plan for the Conservation of Marine Turtles and Their Habitats in Libya has been updated , reviewed and adopted by the main stakeholders in Libya (sea users, professionals, fishermen, public institutes, individual researchers, NGOs active in marine conservation) during an online national workshop held on the 9th of December 2020 within the framework of the implementation of phase 1 of the Mava Marine turtles project (2017-2020). Through the second phase of the project (2020 - 2022), SPA/RAC will continue supporting Libya to implement its national action plan for the conservation of marine turtles and its habitats, besides the nesting monitoring, the national stranding network will be set up and promoted at a national level. The LibSTP team will focus on working with key actors, mainly the local communities, in Sirte and Farwa to achieve effective and sustainable protection of these priority areas
Abdulmula Abdumagid Alhadi Hamza(1-2021)