What are the challenges for seaweed in India and does seaweed affect the environment and seaweed farming environmentally friendly?
Seaweed farming is a simple and eco-friendly approach for sustainable development. Because of relatively small expenditure required to set up seaweed farming, marine algae farming is a viable option for coastal developed countries to help mitigate climate change concerns. Expansion of seaweed cultivation grounds is a major constraint due to water use conflicts with fish landing centers and commercial fishing activities. Eutrophication due to human sewage rich in phosphate and nitrate from major municipalities and small towns has negative impacts on seaweed growth. Seaweed cultivation is a very profitable and rapidly growing industry all over the world. Compared to other types of aquaculture, seaweed farming has generally low impact on the environment. Nonetheless, there are potential direct or indirect negative effects of seaweed farming, such as introduction of alien species and changes in local environmental conditions. Large-scale seaweed farms create some risks to the environment. Invasive species are a great problem for successful seaweed cultivation. Aquatic organisms are susceptible to risks created by large-scale seaweed cultivation. The seaweeds create forage and refuge habitat for commercially important fish and diversity of marine life. Seaweeds also act as a sponge soaking up what's in the water. These marine plants could potentially be cultivated to reduce heavy metals and other coastal pollutants. Seaweeds pull more of the greenhouse gas from the water than all three combined based on biomass. That means seaweed farms can help to combat local impacts of ocean acidification.
Rising sea surface temperatures due to climate change inhibits the growth of seaweed species. Monsoonal periods in India are associated with occasional occurrence of cyclones and create high seawater turbulence and high tidal fluctuations. Local communities, and especially seaweed farmers, many of whom are women, face a number of environmental, social and economic challenges. These include climate change, weak representation of women producers, difficulties in accessing international markets and insufficient protection of coastal ecosystems. Climate change a major threat to the seaweed farming industry. Seaweed production has provided food security and opportunities for livelihood diversification to many coastal communities across the world. However, climate change poses a major threat to the global seaweed sector. The environmental conditions required for growing different species of seaweed are variable. In general, seaweed production requires areas with sufficient nutrients and light for growth and salinity and temperatures that are not limiting to the species being cultivated. Seaweeds pull more of the greenhouse gas from the water than all three combined based on biomass. That means seaweed farms can help to combat local impacts of ocean acidification. Seaweeds also gobble up nitrogen and phosphorus.Seaweed is one of the very few foods that can have a positive environmental impact. It can remove toxins from seawater as it grows. Farming seaweed has been shown to potentially have a negative carbon footprint, absorbing 20% more carbon dioxide than it produces. Seaweed farming is a simple and eco-friendly approach for sustainable development. Because of relatively small expenditure required to set up seaweed farming, marine algae farming is a viable option for coastal developed countries to help mitigate climate change concerns. A type of seaweed known as kelp is being developed for its nutritional value and its ability to absorb and lock away huge quantities of carbon dioxide. Seaweed absorbs CO2 more effectively than trees. It also improves water quality by extracting harmful nutrients such as nitrogen from the sea.
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