Report on Global Seaweed Cultivation Initiatives and Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals

Introduction: The Untapped Potential of Marine Aquaculture

Global marine aquaculture presents a significant opportunity for sustainable development, with an estimated 3.5 million square miles of ocean suitable for finfish mariculture and approximately five times that area available for seaweed production. New projects worldwide are leveraging this potential to deliver substantial benefits to communities and ecosystems, directly contributing to the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Regional Initiatives Driving Sustainable Livelihoods and Environmental Preservation

Papua New Guinea: Empowering Communities in Kimbe Bay

In the biodiversity hotspot of Kimbe Bay, the UN Sustainable Development Group’s “Gutpela Solwara, Gutpela Bisnis” (Good Ocean, Good Business) program is creating sustainable livelihoods for women and youth. The initiative addresses over-reliance on fishing by promoting seaweed farming, which helps restore the marine ecosystem under pressure from pollution and climate change.

• SDG 5 (Gender Equality): The program provides economic independence and empowerment for local women.
• SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth): It fosters micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises to drive local economic change.
• SDG 14 (Life Below Water): Seaweed cultivation purifies water, reduces carbon, and supports the health of the world’s second-largest coral reef system.
• SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities): The project specifically targets youth, providing them with future economic prospects.

Kenya: Building a Resilient Seaweed Value Chain

A four-year project, funded by Global Affairs Canada and implemented by Cascadia Seaweed, is enhancing the seaweed-based value chain for women and youth in Kenya. The project aims to overcome economic barriers and improve food security.

1. Technical Innovation and Resilience: A land-based nursery and biobank is being established to cultivate resilient seaweed crops and provide high-quality seed stock to farmers, contributing to SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).
2. Market Access and Economic Growth: The project seeks to improve market access and break buyer monopolies, ensuring greater profits for farmers and fostering entrepreneurship, in line with SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).
3. Gender Equality and Empowerment: By creating economic opportunities, the initiative directly addresses SDG 5 (Gender Equality) for women who face significant barriers to education and finance.
4. Sustainable Production: Farmers are producing dried seaweed and value-added products like soaps and fish feed, promoting SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production).

Fiji and Northern Australia: Integrating Aquaculture for Sustainable Livelihoods

A project supported by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) and led by the University of the Sunshine Coast is focused on strengthening food systems and building sustainable livelihoods for local and Indigenous communities.

• Integrated Systems: The project explores integrating seaweed into oyster farming systems to provide diversified income streams.
• Climate and Environmental Benefits: This integration improves water quality and enhances climate resilience, supporting SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 14 (Life Below Water).
• Community Focus: The initiative directly supports local and Indigenous communities, contributing to SDG 1 (No Poverty) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities).

Innovation in Seaweed Farming for Climate Action and Industrial Application

Environmental Remediation and Economic Diversification

Research from a University of the Sunshine Coast project in Moreton Bay, Brisbane, demonstrates the dual environmental and economic benefits of seaweed farming.

• Pollution Mitigation (SDG 14): Seaweeds effectively remove pollutants such as heavy metals and excess nutrients from waterways, making them valuable for bioremediation in industrialized areas.
• Economic Diversification (SDG 8): Oyster farmers can create a new revenue stream by selling cultivated seaweed and earning nitrogen offset credits, diversifying their income and contributing to a circular economy.

The Netherlands: Commercial-Scale Farming in Offshore Wind Parks

North Sea Farmers, with support from Amazon’s Right Now Climate Fund, has launched North Sea Farm 1, a commercial-scale seaweed farm uniquely located within an offshore wind farm. This project exemplifies multi-use infrastructure and contributes to several SDGs.

1. Innovative Use of Space (SDG 9): Co-locating the farm with wind turbines provides a protected area for cultivation, demonstrating innovative infrastructure use.
2. Climate Action Research (SDG 13): Research partners are analyzing the seaweed’s carbon absorption rates and its impact on carbon storage to determine the scaling potential for climate change mitigation.
3. Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 17): The project is a collaboration between a commercial enterprise (North Sea Farmers), corporate funding (Amazon), and scientific institutions (Plymouth Marine Laboratory, Deltares, Silvestrum Climate Associates).

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

The article highlights several interconnected issues that align with numerous Sustainable Development Goals. The projects described focus on creating economic opportunities through environmentally restorative practices, directly and indirectly addressing goals related to poverty, gender equality, economic growth, climate action, and marine conservation.

• SDG 1: No Poverty – The projects aim to create “meaningful, sustainable livelihoods” and “additional income” for people in rural and coastal communities, such as those in Papua New Guinea, Kenya, and Fiji, directly tackling poverty.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality – The article explicitly mentions empowering women. In Papua New Guinea, the goal is to give women “independence,” and in Kenya, the projects address the specific “economic barriers” faced by women.
• SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – The initiatives focus on empowering “micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises” and creating new value chains and entrepreneurial opportunities, fostering sustainable economic growth and decent work.
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure – The article details innovations like designing land-based nurseries, developing resilient seaweed crops, creating new products (bioplastics, textiles), and co-locating farms with offshore wind turbines.
• SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production – By promoting seaweed as a source for bioplastics, fabrics, and other materials, the article supports a shift towards sustainable resource use and away from less sustainable alternatives.
• SDG 13: Climate Action – Seaweed’s ability to “reduce carbon” and the research into its “carbon absorption rates and overall impact on carbon storage” directly address climate change mitigation. The projects also aim to enhance “climate resilience” for coastal communities.
• SDG 14: Life Below Water – This is a central theme. The projects aim to preserve biodiversity hotspots like Kimbe Bay, reduce marine pollution by having seaweed “strip pollutants,” and help the “ocean a chance to heal.”
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – The article is built on examples of collaboration, including the UN in Papua New Guinea, a Canadian company funded by Global Affairs Canada working in Kenya, an Australian research center in Fiji, and a private company (Amazon) funding an NGO in the Netherlands.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

Based on the activities and objectives described in the article, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

1. SDG 1: No Poverty

   • Target 1.2: By 2030, reduce at least by half the proportion of men, women and children of all ages living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions. The projects aim to create sustainable livelihoods and income, directly contributing to poverty reduction in communities like Kimbe Bay and coastal Kenya.

2. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Target 5.5: Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life. The programs in Papua New Guinea and Kenya specifically focus on empowering women, giving them “independence” and helping them overcome “economic barriers.”
   • Target 5.a: Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources. The projects provide women with access to new economic opportunities and markets, such as seaweed farming and value-added product creation.

3. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth

   • Target 8.2: Achieve higher levels of economic productivity through diversification, technological upgrading and innovation. The article describes diversification into new seaweed-based products and technological innovations like land-based nurseries.
   • Target 8.5: By 2030, achieve full and productive employment and decent work for all women and men, including for young people. The projects explicitly target creating livelihoods for “women and youth.”

4. SDG 13: Climate Action

   • Target 13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries. The project in Fiji aims to enhance “climate resilience” for coastal communities.

5. SDG 14: Life Below Water

   • Target 14.1: By 2025, prevent and significantly reduce marine pollution of all kinds. The article highlights that seaweed helps “purify the water” by stripping pollutants like “heavy metals, excess nutrients and oil residue.”
   • Target 14.2: By 2020, sustainably manage and protect marine and coastal ecosystems to avoid significant adverse impacts. The program in Kimbe Bay, a “biodiversity hotspot,” is designed to “preserve the bay’s marine ecosystems.”
   • Target 14.7: By 2030, increase the economic benefits to Small Island Developing States and least developed countries from the sustainable use of marine resources, including through sustainable management of fisheries, aquaculture and tourism. The projects in Papua New Guinea and Fiji are prime examples of this target in action.

6. SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

   • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships. The article showcases numerous such partnerships: The UN Sustainable Development Group in PNG, Global Affairs Canada funding Cascadia Seaweed in Kenya, and Amazon’s Right Now Climate Fund supporting North Sea Farmers.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

Yes, the article mentions or implies several quantitative and qualitative indicators that can be used to measure progress:

• Economic Empowerment Indicators:
  • Number of micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) established or supported (implied in the “Gutpela Solwara, Gutpela Bisnis” program).
  • Amount of additional income generated for farmers (mentioned for Fiji oyster farmers).
  • Increased profits for seaweed farmers (a stated goal in Kenya to “bring greater profits”).
  • Development of new value chains and market access (a focus of Cascadia’s work in Kenya).
• Environmental Impact Indicators:
  • Data on “carbon absorption rates” and “impact on carbon storage” (being researched at North Sea Farm 1).
  • Measured improvements in water quality, such as the reduction of nitrogen, heavy metals, and other pollutants (demonstrated in the Moreton Bay project).
  • Preservation of biodiversity, such as the number of coral reef species in Kimbe Bay (implied by the goal to preserve the ecosystem).
• Innovation and Production Indicators:
  • Quantity of seaweed harvested (the “first-ever harvest at North Sea Farm 1” is a milestone).
  • Number and scale of new infrastructure, such as land-based nurseries and biobanks (part of Cascadia’s project in Kenya).
  • Development and market launch of new seaweed-based products like biostimulants, bioplastics, and fabrics.
• Social Impact Indicators:
  • Number of women and youth engaged in sustainable livelihoods (a focus in both PNG and Kenya).
  • Qualitative assessments of women’s economic independence (as stated by Agartha Buku).

4. Create a table with three columns titled ‘SDGs, Targets and Indicators” to present the findings from analyzing the article. In this table, list the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), their corresponding targets, and the specific indicators identified in the article.

Source: marinelink.com