GlobalSeaweed-SUPERSTAR scientists Prof. Lim Phaik Eem of the University of Malaya and Prof. Elizabeth Cottier-Cook of SAMS attended the UN Ocean Conference to highlight the threat to wild seaweeds.
Photo: SAMS
An international consortium of seaweed researchers is calling for greater global protection for wild seaweed species, warning that climate change poses a significant threat to these critical marine ecosystems.
Seaweeds should receive conservation status on a par with coral reefs, mangroves and seagrasses, urged researchers from the GlobalSeaweed-SUPERSTAR programme at last week's UN Ocean Conference (UNOC3) in Nice, France.
Led by the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) and funded by the UK’s Global Centre on Biodiversity for Climate (GCBC), GlobalSeaweed-SUPERSTAR has released a State of the World’s Seaweed report outlining the consequences of failing to act, is preparing a Seaweed Breakthrough report to be presented at COP31 next year.
The upcoming publication aims to catalyse international efforts in conserving and restoring seaweed habitats and promoting sustainable use, said lead researcher, Professor Elizabeth Cottier-Cook, who highlighted the ecological and economic importance of seaweeds.
“Seaweeds are remarkable: they can grow over 30 times faster than many terrestrial plants and their long-term carbon burial outranks mangroves and tidal marshes. They absorb excess nutrients to reduce eutrophication, absorb carbon dioxide, increase biodiversity by up to 40% and as well as providing food and other commercially important products," Cottier-Cook said via a press release.
More than six million people across 54 countries are engaged in seaweed farming, contributing to a global industry worth over $17 billion in 2024. The sustainable development of this sector is especially vital for small-scale producers and communities in developing nations, Least Developed Countries (LDCs), and Small Island Developing States (SIDS), the researchers argue.
However, Cottier-Cook cautioned that these benefits can only be fully realised if wild seaweed ecosystems are properly safeguarded: “This can only be realised, however, if seaweeds are given as high a conservation status as coral reefs, mangroves and seagrasses to ensure that their long-term protection is secured and that the livelihoods of the millions of farmers who are dependent on seaweeds is safeguarded.”
GlobalSeaweed-SUPERSTAR's Seaweed Breakthrough initiative is seeking to mobilise global, regional, and national financing to protect and restore at least 30% of wild seaweed habitats. Its proposed targets - focused on halting habitat loss, conservation, restoration, and sustainable finance - are aligned with international agreements such as the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, the Paris Agreement, and the UN Decades on Ecosystem Restoration and Ocean Science, the research team said.
Programme partners include the Natural History Museum in London, the UN University's Centre for Regional Integration Studies, the University of Malaya, UN Global Compact, the Global Seaweed Coalition, Marrakesh Partnership, and UN Climate Champions.