Plastic pollution is usually pictured as a problem for oceans, where turtles, seabirds and whales can mistake plastic for food. But new research suggests the problem is making its way much deeper into the wild, including the rainforest.

A recent study found the first evidence of microplastic ingestion in an arboreal primate. Researchers discovered tiny plastic fibres in the stomachs of two red howler monkeys living in the flooded forests of the central Amazon. The fibres may have come from abandoned fishing nets carried into the trees by seasonal floods.

The discovery is particularly interesting because plastic pollution research has traditionally focused on marine animals. A recent review of research in the Amazon, however, found plastic contamination across a surprisingly wide range of environments and species, including fish, frogs, bats, birds and terrestrial mammals. Plastic can also become trapped in vegetation, where animals such as turtles, capybaras and other herbivores may encounter it while feeding.

The consequences are not always obvious. Animals may mistake plastic for food, consume it accidentally or encounter tiny particles that are almost impossible to detect. Scientists are still working out exactly what this means for rainforest wildlife, and there are significant gaps in our knowledge.

That uncertainty also points to an opportunity. The more researchers learn about how plastic moves through forests, rivers and wildlife, the better we can prevent it from getting there in the first place. Protecting rainforests, after all, isn’t only about keeping trees standing, it means keeping the entire forest, from its rivers to its monkeys, healthy enough to thrive.

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