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WRRC 2023 Spring Seminar

Environmental Justice Through the Lens of Coastal Health

by Dr. Eileen Nalley

University of Hawaiʻi Sea Grant College Program

A legacy of contamination from unsustainable land use affects the health of coastal ecosystems and communities around the globe. In Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands, where many communities are reliant on marine resources for their nutrition, livelihood, and cultural practices, contamination poses an acute risk to marine ecosystems and seafood consumers. Using a combination of tools ranging from meta-analysis to toxicology to interviews, we worked in close partnership with resource stewards, community nonprofits, and government agencies to assess the risks posed to the health of marine organisms and consumers and to contextualize these findings throughout the Pacific region. The focus of this work has primarily been on contaminant concentrations in commonly consumed fishes, trophic transfer of contaminants through coastal ecosystems, examining historic land use to assess risk in vulnerable communities, and contextualizing other health threats (e.g., ciguatera poisoning) within the framework of unsustainable land use and resulting habitat degradation. Though most of this work has been based in Hawaiʻi and the Marshall Islands, our findings are relevant for communities throughout the Pacific.

Register for meeting:

https://hawaii.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJcsdu6upjkuHtHzOvbuvHOB16myZkv8NQZk

Event Sponsor
WRRC, Mānoa Campus

More Information
Keri Kodama, 956-3174, kodamak8@hawaii.edu