Connecting the Dots: Facilitating Systems Communication for Mālama Maunalua

Abstract

Mālama Maunalua is a non-profit, community-centered organization working to restore abundance to Maunalua Bay on the island of O‘ahu. Founded in 2005, the organization has since implemented a large number of stewardship projects and programs that target various aspects of ecosystem and community care, from habitat restoration, to education and outreach, to scientific research (Mālama Maunalua, 2016). With thousands of volunteers over the years, Mālama Maunalua continues to seek ways of caring for the Maunalua Bay area, from mauka to makai, through community engagement. As a very large organization with numerous projects running concurrently in various areas, and involving different people however, an issue Mālama Maunalua currently faces is understanding how those different projects relate to one another and affect the bay ecosystem as a whole. Conceptualization of strategic linkages amongst the organization’s projects is needed in order to communicate these understandings to the community and the general public