Bangkok, Thailand

Press Release

UK and Thai scientists joined government officials and other NGOs in Bangkok, Thailand to build resilience in the seaweed industry in Thailand to the impacts of climate change.

Global Seaweed PROTECT, a UK Government funded project focused on protecting seaweeds in Southeast Asia as a model for the global development of a sustainable seaweed industry, organised a biosecurity planning and climate resilience workshop in Bangkok from the 26-28th November 2025. The workshop was co-hosted by Kasetsart University, the Department for Marine and Coastal Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Yunus Thailand, Natural History Museum UK, and the Scottish Association for Marine Science.

Prof. Elizabeth Cottier-Cook and the workshop participants shared their knowledge in minimising the introduction and spread of pests and disease, a key challenge that costs the global seaweed industry millions of dollars each year and one that is being significantly exacerbated by climate change. They also discussed the potential introduction of a Progressive Management Pathway for improving seaweed biosecurity (PMP/AB-Seaweed), which has been developed by the UN FAO and adapted by the GS-PROTECT team, to assist national governments in strengthening the resilience of their seaweed industry.

Seaweed entrepreneurs from the Seaweed Social Business, an Earthshot Prize-nominated project established by Yunus Thailand in the province of Satun in 2020, were also meant to join the meeting to explain how the project empowers them to farm and sell Caulerpa, a nutritious “feather seaweed” that thrives in local waters. 1 in 300 years flooding in the south of Thailand however, prevented their attendance at the workshop as they fought to save their homes and livelihoods, demonstrating the severity of the impacts of climate change for rural and coastal communities in Southeast Asia.

While in Thailand, the GlobalSeaweed-PROTECT team also met with representatives from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to discuss raising the importance of protecting wild seaweeds, in line with protection for coral reefs and mangroves, whilst securing sustainable livelihoods for the many millions of seaweed farmers and their families across South-east Asia facing some of the worst effects of climate change. The team also met with the 30x30 Thailand Coalition to establish Thailand’s first National Taskforce for Seaweeds, which will contribute to the development of the country’s National Ocean Adaptation Plan. Together, they aim to advance efforts to protect 30 percent of Thailand’s land and 30 percent of its ocean by 2030.

Professor Juliet Brodie of the Natural History Museum, project lead for GlobalSeaweed-PROTECT said: “Seaweeds are a vital part of marine ecosystems and support more than six million farmers in 56 countries worldwide, but the industry is facing increasing pressure from a range of challenges, including crop failure due to pests and diseases, lack of quality seedlings as well as changes in monsoon and increasing frequency and intensity of tropical typhoons.

“The adoption of a PMP for Seaweed Biosecurity will bring about a transformative change to practices in seaweed farming and will support national and regional governments to support and champion sustainable practices. It is important to communicate the effectiveness of healthy seaweed populations as a crucial part of the ocean ecosystem, as well as a sustainable resource for coastal communities.”

“However, it is critical that this is also driven by the industry and that farmers across the country see the benefits of the additional biosecurity measures. This cannot simply be imposed on them.”

As well as protecting seaweed stocks with improved biosecurity measures, adoption of a PMP can increase seaweed yields, and value, and investor confidence in the industry.

The Seaweed Social Business project in Satun, southern Thailand, received backing from GlobalSeaweed-PROTECT, as well as the Canadian Fund for Local Initiatives, UK Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and the Global Seaweed Coalition. The project selected housewives from low income communities to receive a starter kit, form peer support groups, receive weekly technical and entrepreneurial training, from which they began cultivating, harvesting and selling within weeks.

Callum Mackenzie, Co-Founder & Managing Director of Yunus Thailand and initiator of the Seaweed Social Business project shared, “Caulerpa seaweed is high in nutrients, while it also has crop cycles of 1-2 weeks and 5 - 10 x growth. It offers a great opportunity for community entrepreneurship and women economic empowerment. Each kit takes approximately 10 minutes to manage a day, providing semi-passive income, with entrepreneurs able to add more kits over time to increase their income. In times of great climatic challenge and uncertainty, seaweed entrepreneurship builds resilience for those who are affected most”.

The workshop is one critical part of the three year Global Seaweed PROTECT project. Seaweed, although a nascent industry in Thailand, offers great opportunities. By ensuring the industry grows in an environmentally sustainable and resilient manner, we can unlock the potential of seaweed for ecosystems and coastal communities throughout Thailand and Southeast Asia.

Source : https://www.nhm.ac.uk/press-office/press-releases/thai-and-uk-scientists-unite-to-build-resilience-in-seaweed-indu.html