Limiting aspects and enablers of preventing events with Sargassum in local communities

• Grant number: 24/22236-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Post-Doctoral
• Start date: March 01, 2025
• End date: February 28, 2027
• Field of knowledge: Interdisciplinary Subjects
• Principal Investigator: Joao Adriano Rossignolo
• Grantee: Geison Pires Mesquita
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Zootecnia e Engenharia de Alimentos (FZEA). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Pirassununga , SP, Brazil
• Associated research grant: 23/12355-0 - Increasing local preparedness to Sargassum tides in the Amazon and the Mexican Caribbean through enhanced monitoring and blue economies, AP.R

Abstract

The present post-doctoral project seeks interaction between researchers and local communities on the North Brazilian Coast, given the prospect of an increase in episodes of Sargassum arrivals, and consequent adverse effects of this phenomenon. In the northwest of the Atlantic Ocean there is a region called "sea of sargassum", due to the presence of high amounts of this seaweed. However, in recent years these seaweeds have begun to appear in regions beyond the Sargassum Sea such as West Africa, the Caribbean, Florida, Mexico, also passing through the north of Brazil. These intense occurrences of sargassum have caused serious negative impacts on the socioeconomic and ecological sectors (FRANKS; JOHNSON; KO, 2016; SISSINI et al., 2017; GOWER; KING, 2019; MACHADO et al., 2022). The presence of sargassum in coastal regions can affect the population due to the decomposition of biomass that can generate toxic gases causing harmful effects to human health (ammonium, hydrogen sulfide and methane), in addition to influencing tourist activities, fishing, and compromising the balance of the environment. Marine ecosystem (SOLARIN et al., 2014; RODRÍGUEZ-MARTÍNEZ et al., 2020; VAN TUSSENBROEK et al., 2017; RESIERE et al., 2018; WANG et al., 2019). Specifically in Brazil, the appearance of pelagic-type seaweed has become constant since 2011 in the north and northeast regions of the country (SISSINI et al., 2017). At Atalaia beach, in Pará, there was an arrival of this biomass in 2014 (30 ton.) and 2015 (120 ton.) and the city government chose to remove part of the biomass with the help of trucks, to minimize damage to tourism. In May 2014, the phenomena of seaweed washouts also occurred on three different beaches in the municipality of Salinópolis, on the northeast coast of the state of Pará. After collection by trucks, the wet weight of this biomass was estimated at 200 tons (MARTINELLI FILHO, 2015). In 2015, seaweed arrivals were also recorded Activity Plan on the coast of northeastern Brazil, specifically in Atol das Rocas (RN), São Pedro and São Paulo Archipelago (PE) and Fernando de Noronha (PE) (SISSINI et al., 2017). The most recent appearance occurred in the State of Maranhão in May 2021, with an extension of around 4 km and an estimated mass of 200 tons. The outlook is for Sargassum influx to continue with climate change, compounding economic, ecological, and health-related problems. There is currently no management system in place to increase local preparedness for Sargassum cliffs and coordinate safe collection by local communities, reducing their negative effects. The project envisages the co-creation of a holistic Sargassum management framework, a protocol to increase community awareness, and the development of management efforts and exploration of locally-led, Sargassum based circular economy models, supporting the means livelihoods, gender justice and ecosystem health. To this end, it proposes a series of actions, whether at the laboratory level to give waste a destination, transforming them into marketable products, or within the community, providing information and training for the monitoring, handling and disposal of this biomass, together with fishermen. , community leaders and schools. Therefore, this project proposes a concomitant assessment of each of the four fronts of proposed actions, which aim to reduce the negative impact of the occurrence of Sargassum on local communities. This assessment will be carried out through the construction of a series of indicators to be developed, in order to generate data relating to the effectiveness and replicability of the actions.