GCRF GlobalSeaweed* - Safeguarding the future of seaweed aquaculture in developing countries

海藻种植业是所有水产养殖业中增长最快的，年增长率为10%，价值超过50亿美元。其中95%的种植由发展中国家承担。在世界范围内，海藻养殖为沿海农村社区的“数百万家庭”提供了收入，并使妇女首次在机会很少的地区从事经济活动。然而，海藻疾病和害虫的爆发正在威胁这一行业，导致产量急剧下降（>15%），特别是在三个主要的海藻生产发展中国家-菲律宾，坦桑尼亚和印度尼西亚，并对依赖海藻生产的社区产生灾难性的社会经济影响。仅在菲律宾，每年因疾病造成的损失就超过1亿美元，占其养殖海藻产量的15%，坦桑尼亚和印度尼西亚也出现了类似的减少。因此，我们对全球挑战研究基金（GCRF）GlobalSeaweed* 计划的愿景是提高从事海藻养殖的发展中国家的研究和创新能力。全球海藻基金全球海藻 * 小组将由藻类生物学、水生病理学、疾病和害虫识别、生物安全和政策制定方面的国际专家组成。这将是一个为期4年的方案，主要与菲律宾、印度尼西亚和坦桑尼亚的高级海藻专家合作，但我们设想通过建立全球海藻基金会全球海藻 * 基金，与许多其他海藻生产发展中国家合作，以便对海藻行业出现的危机采取迅速行动，并促进进一步的国际合作。GCRF GlobalSeaweed* 旨在解决与联合国可持续发展目标直接相关的三个关键“发展挑战”，其中包括：挑战1：在可持续水产养殖的支持下，建立安全和有弹性的粮食系统-在种植地和更广泛的环境和立法中，为限制产量的主要海藻疾病和害虫开发创新的新检测方法。采取生物安全措施，防止其传入和传播：我们将重点关注新出现的疾病和害虫的识别，制定预警、基于风险的检测协议以及强有力的国家和国际政策，以确保发展中国家这一行业的安全和复原力。对短期环境冲击和长期环境变化的恢复力和行动-减轻海藻对波动的环境条件和气候变化的敏感性：我们将授权我们的海外合作伙伴开发和测试新的商业菌株，以提高对关键产量的抗性-在环境变化的条件下限制疾病和害虫，并将获得的知识嵌入实际的农场管理协议，以确保最大限度地挑战3：可持续生计得到坚实的基础、基础设施和性别平等的支持，以实现可持续经济增长和创新-了解我们海外合作伙伴在生物安全、性别平等和风险管理方面的社会、政治和制度状况：我们将与当地社区和国家政府密切合作，制定强有力的政策制定方法，以促进可持续经济增长。这些国家的海藻产业。通过应对这些挑战，GCRF GlobalSeaweed* 不仅将进行出色的科学研究，还将培训24名以上的早期职业研究人员，开发开放获取培训材料和前所未有的海藻病虫害数字地图集，协议，与粮农组织和联合国大学合作编写国际技术和政策文件，并在国际会议上组织特别会议，与我们的海外合作伙伴合作。

The seaweed cultivation industry is the fastest-growing of all aquaculture sectors, with an annual growth rate of 10% and a value in excess of $5bn. 95% of this cultivation is undertaken by developing countries. Worldwide, seaweed farming provides income to 'millions of families' in rural coastal communities and has enabled women to become economically active for the first time, in areas where few opportunities exist. Yet outbreaks of seaweed disease and pests are threatening this industry, leading to dramatic (>15%) declines in yield, notably in three major seaweed-producing developing countries - the Philippines, Tanzania and Indonesia and is having catastrophic socio-economic impacts on the communities reliant on seaweed production. In the Philippines alone, losses over US$ 100 million a year were attributed to disease, representing 15% of their farmed seaweed production and similar reductions have been seen in Tanzania and Indonesia. OUR VISION for the Global Challenge Research Fund (GCRF) GlobalSeaweed* programme, therefore, is to grow the research and innovation capability of developing countries engaged in seaweed farming. The GCRF GlobalSeaweed* team will consist of international experts in algal biology, aquatic pathology, disease and pest identification, biosecurity and policy development. It will be a 4-year programme, primarily collaborating with senior seaweed specialists in the Philippines, Indonesia and Tanzania, but we envisage working with many other seaweed producing developing countries through the establishment of a GCRF GlobalSeaweed* Fund, enabling rapid action to emerging crises in the seaweed industry & fostering further international cooperation. GCRF GlobalSeaweed* aims to address three key 'Development Challenges' directly linked to the United Nations Sustainability Development Goals and these include: Challenge #1: Secure and resilient food systems supported by sustainable aquaculture - develop innovative new detection methods for key yield-limiting seaweed diseases and pests on cultivation sites and in the wider environment and legislation/ biosecurity measures to prevent their introduction and spread: We will focus on identification of emergent diseases and pests and the development of early warning, risk-based detection protocols and robust national and international policies to ensure the security and resilience of this industry in developing countries.Challenge #2: Resilience and action on short term environmental shock and long term environmental change - mitigate the sensitivity of seaweeds to fluctuating environmental conditions and climate change: We will empower our overseas partners to develop and test new commercial strains for increased resistance to the key yield-limiting diseases and pests under conditions of environmental change and embed the knowledge gained into practical farm management protocols to ensure maximum yield at the farm sites.Challenge #3: Sustainable livelihoods supported by strong foundations, infrastructure and gender equality for sustainable economic growth and innovation - understand the socio-, political and institutional landscapes in our overseas partners regarding biosecurity, gender equality and risk management: We will work closely with local communities and national governments to develop a robust approach to policy development to promote sustainable economic growth of the seaweed industry in these countries. Through addressing these challenges, GCRF GlobalSeaweed* will not only produce excellent scientific research, but train 24+ early career researchers, develop open access training materials and an unprecedented digital Atlas of Seaweed Disease and Pests, protocols, international technical and policy papers in collaboration with the FAO and United Nations University and organise special sessions at international conferences and sharing best practice events in collaboration with our overseas partners.