Ameen hopes entrepreneurs can utilise sargassum

MINISTER of Local Government Khadijah Ameen urged entrepreneurs to find ways to utilise sargassum seaweed – now inundating Trinidad and Tobago's shores – even as she promised help to collect it.

She was addressing the handover event for two tractors from the Japanese Embassy to gather the seaweed, at her Maraval office on August 19. The UNDP co-ordinated the tractor transfer.

Ameen said after her ministry gathered sargassum, entrepreneurs could collect it.

"We can host events in Mayaro for entrepreneurs."

She urged people to use the local economic development unit which her ministry would soon launch.

UNDP resident representative Ugo Blanco said since 2011, sargassum has disrupted lives across the Caribbean, recalling the $5 million cost of sargassum as a natural disaster in TT in 2015.

"And 2025 is forecast to be one of the worst years yet."

He said sargassum presented "a threat to our environment, our livelihoods, and our health."

"It suffocates coral reefs, destroys boat engines and releases toxins that harm communities."

Blanco said the handover of tractors was just a start and part of a larger package of equipment and support.

"But beyond equipment, we envision a future of resilience. Together, we can build health and safety standards, create alternative livelihoods and develop compensation systems.

"Imagine using drones and satellites to predict sargassum landfall."

Blanco viewed the handover as a signal, not just of equipment, but of enduring partnership.

"UNDP stands ready to walk this journey with you, toward a resilient, sustainable future."

Japanese Ambassador Dr Akima Umezawa attributed his deep empathy towards the plight of TT facing sargassum to his PhD in marine science and in witnessing the weed on his visits to Trinidad's east coast and Nariva Swamp.

He recalled once vowing to himself to help restore TT's coastline to its pristine state.

"I am pleased to share with you the unwavering efforts of the Japanese people in developing two innovative technologies for the effective treatment and utilisation of sargassum."

Firstly, he said the Japanese company GS Alliance Corporation has produced plastics from Caribbean sargassum.

"This technology not only produces heat-resistant and durable materials such as bio-plastic forks and spoons, but it also allows for its decomposition and return to the soil, simultaneously reducing plastic waste while conserving the marine environment."

He said Japanese firm, WEF Corporation, has a process using reactive oxygen to break down sargassum in eight days as soil compost, rather than several years.

The Japanese government recently offered a scholarship in bio-plastic procedures to a young TT national at a top Japanese university.

Ministry of Planning deputy permanent secretary Candace Ramsaran, spoke on behalf of Planning Minister Kennedy Swaratsingh.

"For over a decade, these seasonal influxes have strained our coastal communities, burdened tourism and fisheries, threatened public health and drained national budgets through recurring clean-up operations."

Ramsaran urged people to also see sargassum as offering opportunities for innovation, research and growth.

She thanked the government of Japan and UNDP for their current four-year project to provide both onshore and offshore equipment plus training to strengthen TT's response to sargassum.

"Sargassum can be seen as a valuable organic resource. Science tells us that with the right processes, we can safely remove harmful substances and unlock compounds with extraordinary potential.

"It is possible that some natural constituents of sargassum possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and even anti-cancer properties."

Ramsaran said sargassum could provide pharmaceuticals and food.

She noted research to use sargassum to produce fertilisers, compost and bio-gas for the agriculture sector, as supported by UNDP and the Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme.

"We seek to find if what washes ashore as waste can, with creativity and vision, become a new stream of wealth for our region."

Ramsaran noted the promise of early warning systems to predict the arrival of sargassum in TT waters.

"Through advanced satellite monitoring, numerical simulations and even drone technology, we can track drifting sargassum and act before it arrives.

"Barbados, Jamaica, Guadeloupe, Mexico and Florida are already benefiting from such systems."

She said US$2 million was allocated to strengthen TT's capacity.

"Pilot sites in Guayaguayare Bay and Speyside, Tobago, are testing new offshore and onshore collection equipment."

The new National Sargassum Task Force will support coastal communities and develop a national policy.

"This policy will cover everything from early warning systems and co-ordinated clean-up strategies, to public education, research, training and pathways for the utilisation of sargassum."

She said the project can curb costs and protect public resources; open new industries in biotechnology, renewable energy and agriculture; boost livelihoods in coastal communities; and allow TT to turn environmental stress into economic strength.

Ramsaran said TT's story with sargassum is still being written.

"With vision, investment and collaboration, it could be a story not of crisis, but transformation," she added.

"Together, let us seize this opportunity to turn the tide."