Mexico and the Greater Caribbean seek solutions to the sargassum problem

The Caribbean has faced an environmental challenge that grows every day with the arrival of sargassum in unprecedented volumes, causing substantial ecological, economic and social impacts on coastal communities and marine ecosystems. Listed as a 'maritime threat', sargassum accumulations have cast a shadow over the tourism sector, eroding the attractiveness of coastal destinations and causing economic and environmental consequences for the national fishing and tourism industries.

For this reason, CAF approved a technical cooperation agreement for USD 150,000 for the “Program for the comprehensive sustainable management of sargassum in the Greater Caribbean”, which aims to support the Government of Mexico in addressing this problem, involving government actors. and scientists of the country, as well as strengthening the articulation and coordination of this issue in connection with the other CAF member countries in the Caribbean, generating more knowledge about the problem and identifying opportunities for greater financing and implementation in the fight against this threat.:

This initiative will promote regional cooperation and the exchange of knowledge and experiences on the comprehensive management of sargassum in the Greater Caribbean, and will generate a research campaign in the Great Sargassum Belt in the Caribbean, to diagnose the problem, its causes and impacts, including the potential analysis of mobilizing blended finance, green funds and other financial instruments.

“With this project we seek to address the sargassum problem in a comprehensive manner, contributing to generating actions that help preserve marine ecosystems, tourism and fishing development, as well as a substantial improvement in the quality of life of the populations of the Caribbean,” he said. Alicia Montalvo, manager of Climate Action and Positive Biodiversity at CAF.

The program also contemplates a regional relationship and integration strategy for the creation of a network or node for scientific cooperation on sargassum issues; as well as the design of a scientific research campaign in the Great Sargassum Belt in the Caribbean promoted by a structured program that allows identifying and prioritizing a portfolio of projects, in addition to analyzing various financing strategies, while generating documents follow-up with the most relevant aspects of the comprehensive management of sargassum.