SMMI seed corn funding leads to multiple projects on Sargassum Seaweed

On 29-30 March 2023, Emma Tompkins and the rest of their SARTRAC team hosted a week-long event, including a 2-day online (and in person) conference on adapting to sargassum seaweed. (Image from Sargassum seaweed: Turning an ecological risk into an opportunity video)

Sargassum poses a growing threat to various industries and communities across the Tropical Atlantic. The increased abundance of this brown algae, which can pile up on beaches up to several metres high, has impacts on human health, tourism and fishing, as well as biodiversity. The SARTRAC team have been looking into effective ways to use sargassum in an attempt to address this growing problem. This is predominantly being done by turning it into compost which can be used to grow crops and restore mangroves.

This project is the result of an SMMI HEIF grant awarded for 2017/18, which has since led to several different streams of funding. Congratulations to Emma and the team on your successes. We trust there are more to come.

Watch the video or read the full article to learn more.