International Workshop on Strengthening Seaweed Biosecurity for Sustainable Downstream Development

Le résumé fourni par la source

Indonesia is the world’s second-largest seaweed producer and a global leader in carrageenophyte production. As demand for seaweed-based products continues to grow, the sector faces increasing challenges from disease outbreaks, environmental degradation, climate change, and limitations in seed quality and genetic diversity. At the same time, wild seaweed populations, which represent important reservoirs of genetic diversity and future climate resilient cultivars, are under increasing pressure. Strengthening seaweed biosecurity and conservation is, therefore, essential to support sustainable sector growth and the successful implementation of Indonesia’s National Action Plan (RAN) for Integrated Seaweed Development 2026–2030. To address these challenges, two workshops on the FAO-supported Progressive Management Pathway for Improving Aquaculture Biosecurity for the Seaweed Industry (PMP/AB-Seaweed) were held in Jakarta (1 December 2025) and Lombok (3–4 December 2025). The workshops brought together government agencies, researchers, universities, industry representatives, farmer groups, NGOs, and international organisations to review the current status of the seaweed sector, identify biosecurity priorities, and explore mechanisms for long-term sector resilience. Participation included 65 attendees in Jakarta, alongside 1,433 online participants, and 75 attendees in Lombok. Discussions confirmed that Indonesia already has a range of policies, standards, farmer organisations, and management practices that contribute to seaweed health and production. However, participants highlighted that biosecurity measures remain fragmented, are often not seaweed-specific, and lack integration within a coordinated national framework. Key challenges identified included disease and pest outbreaks, limited availability of high-quality seedlings, weak disease surveillance and diagnostics, environmental impacts from competing coastal activities, gaps in farmer training and extension support, supply-chain inefficiencies, and market instability. Workshop participants identified practical biosecurity measures already being applied by farmers, including routine farm inspections, removal of diseased material, careful seedling selection, seasonal adaptation of farming practices, and farm relocation where necessary. However, these practices are inconsistently applied and would benefit from stronger technical support, monitoring systems, and coordinated implementation. The PMP/AB-Seaweed framework was widely recognised as a practical mechanism for improving seaweed health management in Indonesia. Participants highlighted potential benefits including increased productivity, improved crop quality, greater farmer resilience, enhanced market access, and stronger environmental stewardship. Priority actions proposed included updating national seaweed strategies, strengthening seed systems and genetic resource management, developing disease surveillance and reporting systems, expanding farmer training programmes, improving supply-chain transparency, and increasing investment in research, monitoring, and diagnostic capacity. A major outcome of the workshops was agreement on the need for a multi-stakeholder national seaweed biosecurity taskforce, led by the Directorate of Seaweed within the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries. The taskforce would support policy development, research coordination, disease surveillance, capacity building, seed management, and implementation of the PMP/ABSeaweed framework. The workshops concluded that a coordinated national approach to biosecurity, combined with strengthened protection and restoration of wild seaweed resources, will be critical for maintaining Indonesia’s global leadership in seaweed production while supporting sustainable livelihoods, environmental resilience, and long-term blue economy objectives.

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