There is an estimated 3.5 million square miles of ocean space suitable for finfish mariculture and about five times that suitable for seaweed production. It’s a potential that is being realized around the world as new projects generate benefits for rural communities, cities and the environment.
In Papua New Guinea, the UN Sustainable Development Group is focusing on creating meaningful, sustainable livelihoods for women and youth in Kimbe Bay, a biodiversity hotspot that is home to the second-largest number of coral reef species in the world.
The community there has been heavily reliant on fishing, but the marine ecosystem is facing mounting pressure from pollution, climate change and unsustainable resource use. Seaweed helps purify the water, reduce carbon and support marine life.
The UN program is called “Gutpela Solwara, Gutpela Bisnis” (Good Ocean, Good Business). It empowers micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises in Kimbe Bay to drive economic change while helping to preserve the bay’s marine ecosystems.
In the words of local leader Agartha Buku: “Seaweed farming helps the environment, and it helps our people. It gives women independence, youth a future and the ocean a chance to heal.”