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UK launches research proposal to help Caribbean countries deal with sargassum

Published:Sunday | September 17, 2023 | 7:42 PM
A boat throttles through thick sargassum in Owia, north-eastern St Vincent. - CMC photo

CARIBBEAN, CMC – The government of the United Kingdom has launched a call for research proposals on how to deal with the problem of the sargassum seaweed in the Caribbean region.

In the last few years, influxes of sargassum have threatened the region's marine ecosystems, economy and public health.

The government of UK Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, last week, in response to requests from Caribbean leaders, invited partners to submit proposals for up to £300,000 (USD$374,000) before October 10.

The research should advance commercial, scalable, safe solutions to process, sink or store the sargassum.

A statement from the British High Commission in Bridgetown said “finding solutions to sargassum influxes could be vital to the Caribbean's sustainable development and climate resilience”.

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