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UH Manoa Department of Urban and Regional Planning Research Highlight: Summer 2021

This UH Manoa Department of Urban and Regional Planning Research Highlight article focuses on the recent Spring 2021 practicum project conducted by students in the department’s Master of Urban and Regional Planning program. The practicum project, From Refuse to Resource: Land-Based Strategies to Address Marine Debris, proposes management strategies for plastic marine waste that align with the mission of the project’s clients: the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Ocean Voyages Institute (OVI), and the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center (NDPTC).

From Refuse to Resource: Land-Based Strategies to Address Marine Debris

Practicum Team: Nicolas Ayabe, Jaeho Choi, Tamara Edwards, Thomas Stock

Faculty Advisor: Dr. Karl Kim

The volume of plastic marine pollution globally continues to accelerate at an alarming rate and has become an international public health crisis, leading to extensive environmental damage. It is estimated that plastics represent up to 90% of marine debris found globally, with up to 12.7 million metric tons of consumer plastics ending up in oceans annually (Agamuthu et al., 2019). Given its position as an island community, Oʻahu can serve as a global model for addressing this problem. This practicum project identifies management strategies for plastic marine waste that align with the collective missions of the project’s clients: NOAA, OVI, and the NDPTC. Management strategies discussed in the associated practicum report are organized around goals for this problem with actions to achieve strategy goals recommended. Practicum project recommendations are designed to assist NOAA, OVI, and the NDPTC in reducing the impacts of marine debris and plastic waste.

Please contact Dr. Karl Kim at karlk@hawaii.edu for a copy of the Spring 2021 practicum report. 

UHMResearch_Summer21