Kamilo Beach is located on the South-East coast of the Big Island, Hawaii, which used to be a stunning beach to go and see. However, in recent years, the accumulation of plastic pollution has been affecting marine life and the individuals who live on the island. Plastic pollution has been affecting marine ecosystems for years now, and coastal countries have been a contributing factor to it. Plastic doesn’t break down fully and leaves behind fragments that marine life, such as marine mammals or sea turtles, can ingest. This is harmful to those who ingest it because plastic has harmful toxic chemicals to make it. For the local population on the island, plastic pollution also has negative effects on them like spreading pathogens. “However, the ability of microorganisms to persist on beach-stranded plastic debris and increase dissemination of potentially pathogenic microbes in coastal zones needs urgent addressing to allow regulators and beach managers to make more informed decisions about public safety in bathing environments (Keswani et al., 2016).” If the plastic stays on the beaches as it has for years, then the public's health is at risk for harmful bacteria that live on plastic. This proposal aims to examine the impact plastic waste has had on the marine life and individuals who live on the island. 

• Plastic is harming individuals who live on islands by harboring harmful pathogens and bacteria on the plastic. 

• Alongside that, marine life is also affected by plastic pollution that is washed ashore in coastal regions. “At least 10% of the species encountering marine debris had ingested microplastics (Gall & Thompson, 2015).”

• Many marine species have been affected by marine debris and what is the main source of what is affecting them. At least 690 species were affected by plastic pollution which causes the marine ecosystems to be negatively impacted. Some of the most common items associated with pollution include things like glass and metal. Marine life isn’t just the only population to be affected by plastic pollution, human populations are also being affected by it.

• Microplastics and even nanoplastics are a huge concern when it comes to plastic pollution since once plastic is broken down it remains. There isn’t much research surrounding nanoplastics, which is a huge cause for concern since the potential of what they can do to humans is not great news. If exposed to them for longer periods, which is happening, then more permanent things like organ damage or even cancer are possibilities.

• Research is very limited when it comes to plastic and remote islands that are in the oceans where plastic is collected. Having this plastic problem is harming the ecosystem by contaminating all aspects of it harming the marine life and even the individuals who are living on these islands. 

The theoretical framework that I chose that fits best with my research proposal is Ostrom's Socio-Ecological Systems Framework. This framework looks at humans and how they interact with the environment, looking at how individuals use natural resources and how that affects both society and the environment. The constructs that are within this framework include Resource Systems (RS), Resource Units (RU), Governance Systems (GS), and Actors (A). 

Research Question

This proposal will examine how trash influences marine life and the local people near Kamilo Beach in Hawaii.  As stated throughout the literature review, marine life and the local people population are being affected by this plastic problem every day. Marine life can ingest the harmful chemicals that plastic is made of when it starts to break down. Stopping this is crucial for marine ecosystems to thrive rather than be affected by microplastics seeping into the water. In addition, the local people are being affected by the plastic pollution problem. Harmful bacteria and pathogens can grow on the plastic there, and once it degrades, it can seep into the water and make it unsafe to drink and use. If we don’t change our ways this beach will stay engulfed in plastic and marine debris for the rest of its existence.