An Australian innovation for seaweed biofilters to help protect the Great Barrier Reef is drawing attention at Davos 2021 this week as one of the top global innovations for protecting oceans.
11 innovations protecting life below water – and above it | World Economic Forum (weforum.org)
A network of seaweed biofilters in targeted locations across the Great Barrier Reef could be part of the solution to safely soaking up excessive nitrogen and carbon dioxide that is damaging coastal ecosystems and the Great Barrier Reef.
Every year thousands of tonnes of excess nutrients run off the land and out to the reef, reducing its resilience to recover from stress events like rising sea temperatures, ocean acidification and coral bleaching.
The Australian Seaweed Institute is developing the innovative seaweed biofilter technology to enable nitrogen and carbon dioxide removal between the coast and the reef.
Australian Seaweed Institute chief executive Jo Kelly says harnessing the power of native seaweeds as biofilters on a large scale is an example of a nature-based solution that can help protect and regenerate oceans and reefs. “The added bonus is that once the seaweed is harvested it can be used for sustainable products like animal feed, organic fertilisers and bioplastics and will create new coastal jobs for the region.”
AgriFutures Australia published the Australian Seaweed Industry Blueprint in September 2020 which highlighted the opportunity for seaweed biofilters that protect the Great Barrier Reef to generate up to $200M revenue annually and create 2,500 jobs in the region.
This innovative solution has received funding from the partnership between the Australian Government’s Reef Trust and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation. Australian Seaweed Institute is working in partnership with CQUniversity’s Coastal and Marine Ecosystems Research Centre at the new, state-of-the-art research facility located in the Port of Gladstone.
Learn more about The Australian Seaweed Institute Seaweed Biofilter Project here.