Puaʻala Pascua is the Coordinator of the Ahupuaʻa Accelerator Initiative. Born and raised on Oʻahu and currently residing on Hawaiʻi Island, Puaʻala specializes in locally and culturally attuned approaches to natural resource management. She holds a master’s degree in Natural Resource and Environmental Management from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa and bachelor’s degrees in Hawaiian Studies and Marine Science from the University of Hawai’i at Hilo.
Puaʻala has strong experience in interdisciplinary and collaborative projects engaging managers, scientists, and cultural practitioners. She also possesses important policy and management experience across public and private sectors and decision-making scales – locally, in support of several community-based marine resource management efforts; regionally, through well-being and resilience-focused collaborations with partners across the Pacific; nationally, with NOAA Fisheries Headquarters as a 2016 Knauss Marine Policy Fellow and Recreational Fisheries Specialist; and globally, through collaborations with the Action Group on Knowledge Systems and Indicators of Well-being, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. This experience, in combination with her culturally-grounded upbringing, enables her to explore the junction of research, policy, and resource management in a way that meaningfully centers on local communities. Mai kekahi kapa a i kekahi kapa, e ola a mau loa aku nā pulapula o ka ʻāina aloha.