<![CDATA[Marine debris refers to items that are no longer in use and are either deliberately or unintentionally left in marine areas by humans. Beaches, which serve as the boundary between land and sea, are areas vulnerable to pollution by marine debris. High visitor activities in beach areas can affect the abundance of marine debris in those areas. This study examined the composition and abundance of marine debris at three tourist beaches in Malang Regency, East Java, and its correlation with visitor numbers. Sampling was divided into two times intervals according to school holidays: high season (June-July) and low season (August). The marine debris collected was macro marine debris, which was collected from quadrat transect measuring 5x5 m, spaced 20 m apart. Number of visitors from each sampling beach were collected from the counter staff at each beach on the day before the marine waste samples were taken. The results of this study showed that plastic waste was the dominant type of marine debris with a value greater than 70%. The average abundance of marine debris on low season was 1.5 ± 0.3 items/m² and during the high season was 2.5 ± 0.2 items/m², while the weight abundance recorded was 2.3 ± 0.5 grams/m² on low season and 5.6 ± 1.8 grams/m² during the high season. There is a strong and positive correlation between marine debris abundance and the number of visitors (R² = 0.901). The results of this study emphasized the importance of waste management, particularly during the high season.]]>
