Seaweed Stakeholder Workshops
Assessing the Socio-Environmental Benefits of Seaweed Aquaculture in Ireland.
This one-day workshop on 21 November 2019 was organised by GENIALG partner CIIMAR and the Irish Seaweed Consultancy and was held at GENIALG partner, National University of Ireland (NUI) in Galway, Ireland. The aim of the workshop was to assess the non-material benefits and values of seaweed farming activities in a deliberative and participatory process with local/regional stakeholders in Ireland. Keynote speakers on the day were Jose Farinas Franco (GENIALG partner NUI Galway) and Jean-Francois Arbona (GENIALG partner C-Weed Aquaculture).
The invited workshop participants were representatives from various backgrounds related to the seaweed industry including seaweed producers, end-users of seaweed products, administrators, community associations, NGOs, academics and students. The 25 participants were guided through a series of dynamic and guided activities so that they were able to express their opinions and participate in conversations on the values of seaweed aquaculture to society. Workshop participants were invited to share their perceptions and points of view around different aspects, but in particular those on human well-being, social networks and the environmental benefits associated with seaweed farming as well as other aspects that will contribute to the research within GENIALG promoting the sustainable development of seaweed farming.
The analysis of the results developed from the workshop will be shared publicly in a deliverable report, together with the results from the other GENIALG workshops that have been held in the other European countries. The deliverable report is expected to be published at the end of 2020. The report will help to add value to the seaweed aquaculture activities in Ireland and Europe overall, thus contributing to its economic, ecological and socially sustainable development.
Assessing the Socio-Environmental Benefits of Seaweed Aquaculture in Portugal.
On Thursday 30 January 2020 at Parque de Ciência e Inovação de Ílhavo a workshop dedicated to the evaluation of the social and non-economic benefits of algae cultivation in the region of Aveiro was held. The workshop was oganised by GENIALG partners, CIIMAR and ALGAplus.
The invited workshop participants were representatives from various backgrounds related to the seaweed industry including seaweed producers, end-users of seaweed products, chefs, administrators, community associations, NGOs, academics and students. The day also included a visit to the ALGAplus seaweed farming land-based facilities, guided by Helena Abreu, co-founder of ALGAplus. The coffee and lunch breaks were enjoyed with many dishes made with seaweeds, which certainly inspired and uplifted the conversations!
Afterwards, a series of dynamic and guided activities took place where the participants were able to express their opinions and participate in conversations on the values of seaweed aquaculture to society. The 38 workshop participants were invited to share their perceptions and points of view around different aspects, but in particular those on human well-being, social networks and the environmental benefits associated with seaweed farming as well as other aspects that will contribute to the research within GENIALG promoting the sustainable development of seaweed farming.
The analysis of the results developed in the workshop will be shared publicly in a deliverable report, together with the results from the other GENIALG workshops that have been held in the other European countries. The deliverable report is expected to be published at the end of 2020. The report will help to add value to the seaweed aquaculture activities in Portugal and Europe overall, thus contributing to its economic, ecological and socially sustainable development.
Assessing the Socio-Environmental Benefits of Seaweed Aquaculture in France.
On Friday 14 February 2020 at the Roscoff Biological Station (CNRS), a workshop dedicated to the evaluation of the social and non-economic benefits of algae cultivation in Brittany was held. The workshop was organised by GENIALG partner CIIMAR and GENIALG Coordinator CNRS. The keynote speaker on the day was GENIALG partner Jean-Francois Arbona from C-Weed Aquaculture.
The invited workshop participants were representatives from various backgrounds related to the seaweed industry including seaweed producers, end users of seaweed products, administrators, community associations and research centres etc. The 32 workshop participants were guided through a series of dynamic and guided activities so that they were able to express their opinions and participate in conversations on the values of seaweed aquaculture to society. Workshop participants were invited to share their perceptions and points of view around different aspects, but in particular those on human well-being, social networks and the environmental benefits associated with seaweed farming as well as other aspects that will contribute to the research within GENIALG promoting the sustainable development of seaweed farming.
The GENIALG project aims to promote the blue economy by developing the algae industry on a European scale, from its production to its transformation for use in sectors such as food and feed, cosmetics, nutraceuticals, pharmaceuticals. GENIALG deals with a wide range of areas, from the genetics of the algae to its bio-refinement, including the ecosystem services and the non-material benefits seaweed farming provides. In order to identify and describe the non-monetary advantages of seaweed farming, contributions from local stakeholders is essential, and it will also contribute to define future seaweed farming scenarios and to contribute to its acceptance by the local communities.
The analysis of results developed from the workshop will be shared publicly in a deliverable report, together with the results from the other GENIALG workshops that have been held in the other European countries. The deliverable report is expected to be published by the end of 2020. The report will help to add value to the seaweed aquaculture activities in France and Europe overall, thus contributing to its economic, ecological and socially sustainable development.
Assessing the Socio-Environmental Benefits of Seaweed Aquaculture in Scotland.
This one-day workshop was organised by GENIALG partners CIIMAR and SAMS. The aim of the workshop was to assess the non-material benefits and values of seaweed farming activities in a deliberative and participatory process with local/regional stakeholders in Scotland. The public was included to contribute with information on their viewpoints, willingness to pay and perceptions about non-material nature benefits.
The analysis of the results developed in the workshop will be shared publicly in a deliverable report, together with the results from the other GENIALG workshops that have been held in the other European countries. The deliverable report is expected to be published at the end of 2020. The report will help to add value to the seaweed aquaculture activities in Scotland and Europe overall, thus contributing to its economic, ecological and socially sustainable development.
Seaweed Aquaculture in Norway: Socio-Environmental Benefits and Policy Frameworks in Norway.
On Tuesday 25 February 2020 at The BELLONA Foundation in Oslo, a workshop dedicated to the evaluation of the social and non-economic benefits of algae cultivation was held. Analysis of the policy frameworks and regulations around algae cultivation in Norway was also carried out. The one-day workshop resulted from a collaboration between two ongoing EU-projects: GENIALG and AQUAVITAE. It was organised by partners on the projects: BELLONA Foundation, CIIMAR, Nofima and UiT- The Arctic University of Norway.
The invited workshop participants were representatives from various backgrounds related to the seaweed industry including seaweed producers, end-users of seaweed products, administrators, regulatory bodies, NGOs, academics etc. The 27 workshop participants were were guided through a series of dynamic and guided activities so that participants were able to express their opinions and participate in conversations on the values of seaweed aquaculture has for society. Workshop participants were invited to share their perceptions and points of view around different aspects, but in particular those on human well-being, social networks and the environmental benefits associated with seaweed farming as well as other aspects. Participants also had interesting conversations regarding the policy frameworks and regulation of seaweed aquaculture in Norway in guided groups. Ultimately, the aim was to contribute to the further development of sustainable seaweed aquaculture, which is a shared objective by both H2020 funded projects.
The participation of a diversity of stakeholders is essential to recognise and describe the non-monetary advantages of seaweed farming and also to identify policy constraints and suggest solutions to overcome them. The diversity of values of nature, as well as governance and policy frameworks related to seaweed farming are associated with different cultural and institutional contexts and we were lucky to have a great representative group of participants on the workshop from Norway.
The analysis of the results from these participatory activities and discussions will contribute to both projects specific objectives, that is to boost the suitable development of seaweed farming as well as Low Trophic Systems in Europe, taking into consideration the perspectives and fundamentals of the people involved and affected by this activity.
Workshop article on AquaVitae website