Since 2011, Caribbean islands and few countries in Central America, notably Mexico and Belize, have grappled with massive accumulations of sargassum seaweed on their coastlines, causing significant disruptions on the environment, on local economies and raising serious concerns on public health. When stranded on the coastline, sargassum seaweed erodes coastal ecosystems, including mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass beds, through several mechanisms: hindering the photosynthesis process and causing increased mortality of pelagic biodiversity through suffocation or poisoning due to the release of heavy metals as they decompose. The methods of collecting sargassum seaweed on beaches, using heavy machinery, also contribute to coastal erosion.

The decomposition of sargassum seaweed on beaches emits hydrogen sulphide, degrading the quality of life of coastal populations and posing a potential threat to human health – still under study. Moreover, the seaweed influxes cause several disturbances on key sectors of Caribbean economies: tourism due to reduced beach access, potential health risks, and loss of attractiveness. Many Caribbean countries have experienced a sharp decline in tourism, with significant consequences for their overall economy, as tourism constitutes an essential pillar, representing approximately 18% of GDP in several countries in the region. The fishing industry is also affected by sargassum seaweed banks, as they provoke the corrosion of boats and ship engines and a decrease in fish population.

This project aims at supporting regional cooperation dynamics in the Caribbean and assisting small developing island states in structuring a framework for the management and valorisation of sargassum seaweed. It will be structured into three main components and one cross-cutting component:

1.       Support for regional coordination between the Eastern Caribbean states, the Dominican Republic, Mexico, and Belize. This component aims to engage communities of practice and capitalize on the experiences and knowledge developed at all levels of the sargassum management chain: forecasting and monitoring sargassum drifts, collection methods, pre-treatment and characterization of sargassum components, transport, storage, and their valorisation into marketable products.

2.       Assistance to small island developing States in consolidating and implementing sargassum management plans in Saint Lucia, Grenada, Dominica, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. In partnership with the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States (OECS), this component aims to strengthen the capacities of public and private actors in sargassum management operations. This aspect will define and deploy a roadmap for organizing collection operations through training and equipping the staff involved, developing early warning mechanisms for coastal communities and coordination with transporters, developing suitable pre-treatment systems, and storing biomass in secure sites. Finally, a call for projects will be launched for private actors involved in valorisation operations to support them in developing economically, environmentally, and socially viable business models.

3.       Production and capitalization of knowledge on environmental, social, and health impacts, collection methods, and valorisation chains. The project will deploy a network of collective expertise aimed at gathering a group of scientists and experts from various Caribbean research centres to mobilize all knowledge and establish a scientific consensus on the complex issues raised by sargassum. Furthermore, the project will contribute to the call for proposals on research and innovation lunched by the Agency for National Research. This contribution will aim to strengthen the regional dynamics of scientific cooperation and the implementation of concrete and adapted valorisation solutions adapted to the Caribbean context.

4.       Cross-cutting gender integration in sargassum management operations will aim to identify the gender-specific impacts of sargassum influxes and develop specific support measures for women whose economic and social activities have been affected by these influxes.