Description

The project proposes the study of regional development policies, the preparation of a guide to good practices for the exploitation of natural banks and the promotion of different models of exploitation and cultivation of macroalgae for food purposes.

Since ancient times, western coastal populations have used seaweed for various agricultural purposes to fertilize farmland and to provide food and medicine. But the most important use of macroalgae is their use as raw materials for obtaining different hydrocolloids – phycolloids – with multiple industrial applications, in particular alginates from brown algae, as well as agars and carrageenans from red algae.

In addition, in recent decades marine macroalgae have also become particularly relevant in the field of food and the pharmaceutical industry. They are also a basic pillar in the development of organic agriculture and in the diversification and sustainability of marine aquaculture through, for example, the development of multitrophic aquaculture.

At the same time, marine macroalgae play a fundamental role in the balance of coastal ecosystems, so it is essential to assess the degree of pressure to which the areas under study are subjected.

In this context, the project has proposed the study of regional development policies, the preparation of a guide to good practices for the exploitation of natural banks and the promotion of different models of exploitation and cultivation of macroalgae for food purposes. As a global objective, it has been possible to develop a sustainability plan and good practices for the exploitation and cultivation of macroalgae for the regions of Andalusia, Asturias and Galicia.
These actions will contribute to promoting the sustainable development of this strategic sector with a high potential for socioeconomic growth, since as APROMAR has been able to highlight through this project it is of great importance and need to combine aquaculture and scientific knowledge for the development of a strategic sector little known in our country.

See the project