The Natural History Museum has launched a new research project to help tackle the major environmental challenges faced by seaweed communities and industries across south-east Asia, a sector identified as both economically and environmentally critical.

Seaweed farming in southeast Asia is coming under increasing pressure from pests and diseases while wild seaweed populations – the kinds that could provide new disease resilient stock – are suffering the effects of climate change.

Seaweed is the fastest growing aquaculture sector, currently making up half of marine production globally. The red seaweeds Kappaphycus and Eucheuma species are of particular economic importance, producing as they do carrageenan, a chemical compound which can be used as an ingredient across a wide range of key products, including food, pharmaceuticals, and cosmetics in an industry worth over $14bn.

In Southeast Asia, over one million livelihoods are supported by the seaweed industry, making it the largest producer of red seaweed, particularly across Indonesia, the Philippines, and Malaysia. 

However, as an industry, seaweed production is threatened in this region by a lack of genetic diversity in the cultivars, increasing the seaweeds’ vulnerability to pests and diseases. At the same time, climate change is having a devastating impact on wild seaweed habitats on which the industry depends for sourcing new cultivars.

Combined, these pressures make the move to tackle them critical. The Natural History Museum has secured funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to help tackle the growing threats to seaweed production in the region. 

The three-year project – called GlobalSeaweed-Protect – is led by Professor Juliet Brodie and will create healthy seaweed crops using biosecurity management to prevent the spread of pests and develop early warning systems to spot early signs of diseases.

It will also work to make production systems resilient to climate change and enhance biodiversity across wild seaweeds and the wider aquatic environment. 

Tim Littlewood, Natural History Museum’s executive director of science, said: “This project is a great example of Museum scientists working with local and indigenous communities and researchers to find solutions to some of the biggest challenges we face.”

The Project’s aim is to shore up long-term livelihoods for farmers and communities while it is hoped to provide a model template for global use to help address the planetary emergency. 

Professor Juliet Brodie, a merit researcher at the Natural History Museum and a senior member of the GlobalSeaweed-Protect team, said: “This is about finding long-term solutions to the challenges faced by the seaweed industry in Southeast Asia. And that’s about developing healthy, climate-resilient crops for the seaweed farmers alongside protecting and restoring the wild seaweed stocks on which the future of the industry depends.

“It’s a unique opportunity to continue our strong UK-Southeast Asia partnership and to work towards improving the livelihoods of farmers and their communities.

“Seaweeds are extraordinary. A world without seaweeds means devastation to the functioning and food security of the Earth as we know it. A world with seaweeds that are healthy and thriving offers hope of a better future for the planet.”

The project is part of the Natural History Museum’s research into understanding why biodiversity is changing to inform conservation efforts and policies that can halt and reverse its decline. 

GlobalSeaweed-Protect is being led by the Natural History Museum with support from the Scottish Association for Marine Science, the University of Malaya, Kasetsart University, the University of Mataram and the University of the Philippines.  

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