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Project Philip

1. Teleconnected SARgassum risks across the Atlantic: building capacity for TRansformational Adaptation in the Caribbean and West Africa (SARTRAC)

https://www.sartrac.org/

 

Project PIs

Prof. Kwasi Appeaning Addo (UG) Prof. Emma Tompkins (Southampton)

 

Aim and Objectives: 

Our aim is to identify new transformational developmental opportunities that build resilience equitably, for people affected by changing biomes/ecosystems in least developed countries. Specifically, we will identify the opportunities for transformational adaptation that can be generated through the management and re-use of the invasive sargassum seaweed increasingly found across the Caribbean, Central America, and West Africa. We will accomplish our aim through four objectives (in priority order):

O1. DRIVERS. Evaluate large-scale drivers, oceanic transport, frequency, and predictability of sargassum events. Using the best available science, co-develop with stakeholders an effective means of communicating and disseminating the underlying science of seaweed sources, transport, accumulations, and future flows. Improve long term prediction of flows to create benefits for the poorest in affected societies.

O2. DISTRIBUTION. Monitor and map (local to regional) intra-Caribbean and West African sargassum flows and impacts, to identify appropriate risk management strategies for the poorest affected communities. Using Satellite imagery and drones co-develop an operational near real-time early warning system for Jamaica countries and Ghana for the benefit of the most vulnerable in society. Develop impact pathways for different coastal archetypes for Jamaica, focusing on the most marginalised and poorest communities impacted.

O3. TRANSFORMATION. Evaluate the biotechnological and political economy potential for Sargassum reuse, to inform transformational adaptation pathways for Sargassum-receiving communities. Undertake seaweed collection, drying, preliminary analysis to identify opportunities for re-use in different products. Identify the demand for products from Sargassum and identify success stories where opportunities have been developed from re-use.

O4. GOVERNANCE. This WP will investigate opportunities and risks associated with different policy settings for transformational adaptation. We will analyse existing policy settings, compare, and contrast differences between countries and regions, consider different scenarios under regional and international legal frameworks, and propose how sargassum can be managed to the benefit of the poorest depending on whether it can be used as a resource or remains a pollutant. In doing so we will assess the extent to which different governance frameworks--local, national, regional, and global--are best placed to respond to each scenario.

These objectives will all be applied in the context of transformational adaptation, i.e. what can be achieved to generate equitable resilience outcomes for the poorest and marginalised communities affected by Sargassum.

 

Source of Funding:

UKRI GCRF

Mangroves project Edem

2. Mangroves as nature-based solutions to coastal hazards in Eastern Ghana

https://meerwissen.org/partnership-projects/mancoga

Project PIs

 
Dr. Edem Mahu (UG) and Dr. Holger Brix (Hereon)
 
 

Aim and Objectives: 

 
MANCOGA aims at supporting and reinvigorating mangrove ecosystem services along the Ghanaian coast to improve coastal protection, reduce the influx of nutrients into coastal waters and increase carbon sequestration capabilities. The envisioned outcome is a catalog of recommended actions that takes into account (and will have the support of) all relevant stakeholders as well as a Digital Toolbox. In particular, the project will yield an improved inventory of coastal environmental data, the identification of critical monitoring and data gaps, an inventory of alternative livelihood sources/interventions to reduce human pressures on mangroves, and a catalogue of model scenarios for the coastal zone taking the effects of climate change, flooding, erosion, and eutrophication in the study area into account, thus identifying regions where actions will be most promising. This will ultimately lead to the development of a list of mitigation options and policy reform recommendations. In addition, we expect this project to lay the groundwork for sustained future collaboration, knowledge transfer and capacity building.
 
 

Project Partners:

 
Department of Marine and Fisheries Sciences, IESS, Hereon, CoastPredict, COESSING,
Relevant stakeholders
 
 

Source of Funding:

Meerwissen